Stuck With Me
by The Androgynous Alchemist
Summary: Edward has just returned from a long mission in Xing. After returning he is called into Roy's office and told he must endure a two month mission with the colonel himself. Will they drive each other insane? or is this the start of something special?
1. Inturruptions

**If you are taking the time to read this, I would like to thank you very much! :)**

**This is my first attempt at writing a Fan Fiction, although I've been a member of this site for about a year now! Enjoy!**

Edward Elric was sitting in his armchair, a book in one hand and a drink in the other. The crackling flames in the fireplace gave off a most comforting heat. As his golden eyes scanned the pages his eyelids grew heavier. After taking another sip of his drink he thought about the now empty glass in his hand. He needed something much stronger.

Ed set his book on the small coffee table and ventured into the kitchen with the empty glass in his hand. As he raided his precious liquor cabinet, his mind began to think back to the previous few months. He had just returned from a two month mission, which had turned out to be a complete waste of time. The Fuhrer sent him to Xing to track down four escaped criminals, who turned out to be dead anyway. After a long journey back to central, Ed returned exhausted and wounded, only to be greeted by 'The Bastard' Roy Mustang. Edward had been forced to endure several hours of painful lecture, which he had learned to tune out over the years. He spent his time wondering what wonderful things he could transmute Roy's desk into. Would he? Perhaps now wasn't the time.

Now he was back at his military home in central. His hand wandered over the different sized bottles filled with brightly coloured liquids. He'd finally narrowed his choice down to brandy or whiskey. Actually, a mix of both sounded like a very good idea. Settling back to his favourite spot in the armchair, the phone began to ring. Raising the glass to his lips he hoped whoever it was would take the hint. That wasn't the case. After downing the rest of his drink, Ed yanked the phone off its hook and growled in irritation.

"I presume you have an explanation for interrupting me this late in the evening?"

"Sorry for the interruption Ed, but I have a message from the colonel"

"Riza? What the hell does that bastard want now?! I suppose that lecture he gave me this morning wasn't enough!"

"He wants you to report to his office tomorrow morning"

"TOMORROW?!!" Riza winced as she moved the phone away from her ears.

"Yes Ed, tomorrow"

"I've only been back a few hours and he's sending me off again already?! STUPID BASTARD COLONEL! Let him know that when I'm finished with him he'll be drinking through a straw for the rest of his life!"

Ed slammed down the phone in anger only to find it rang again.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!!"

"Ummm.... Hey brother, is this a bad time?"

"AL! Hey! How's it going? Sorry about that. I thought you were someone else"

"Sorry, I'll call back another time"

"NOOO! WAIT! DONT GO! AL!"

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you..."

"Don't worry about me! I'm fine! Honestly! So how is my favourite little brother?"

"I'm your only brother"

"Just answer the goddamn question Al!"

"I'm fine, just a bit peachy. Winry made me stay up all night helping her in the workshop"

"Up all night? Al is there something you want to tell me?"

"Ed!"

"Alphonse you sly dog!"

"ED!"

"C'mon I'm just messing around! I'm just enjoying the conversation because you might not here form me for a while...."

"Brother? Is something wrong?"

"That bastard colonel wants me in his office tomorrow morning!"

"But I thought you only just got back from Xing?"

"Yeah.. Why is life always out to get me? Sorry Al I better write up my report, I'll see you around"

"Ok brother, don't push yourself too hard"

"Don't worry Al, I'll be fine, Bye"

Ed sighed as he hung up. _'Damn. I'm not in the mood for doing this now'_. He dragged himself up the stairs and started his report. This was going to be a long night.

**I don't think it's that good but thank you for reading : )**

**Next chapter should be up in the next few days, by the end of the week at the latest.**


	2. Conflict

**Wow, second chapter already! **

**I wasn't expecting it to be finished for another few days, but I was sitting in my room last night and had a brilliant idea for the first line. Then one line turned into two. Eventually I had another chapter. Enjoy :)**

Edward kicked the door open with his automail leg, sending paralysing cramp shooting up his thigh. Colonel Roy Mustang was skimming through a report looking satisfied with himself.

"Come in" he said with a smug grin.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT YOU SMUG BASTARD?!". The blonde teenager stood in front of the colonel's desk with a look of utter annoyance in his eyes. _'If looks could kill'_ Roy thought to himself. He cleared his throat...

"Ahh, FullMetal, I see you got my message"

"YES I GOT YOUR STUPID MESSAGE! THAT'S WHY IM STUCK IN YOUR OFFICE AT SEVEN A FUCKING CLOCK IN THE MORNING ASSHOLE!"

"Edward, I'm hurt!" Roy responded casually.

"YEAH?! WELL YOU WILL BE WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH YOU!"

The colonel sighed. _'This is going to be a long morning'_

"Look Ed..."

"Don't call me that"

"What, Ed?"

"YES ED. DON'T CALL ME ED"

"Why not? That's your name isn't it?"

Edward glared at his superior officer.

"Because you and I aren't friends"

"A pleasure to see you too Ed"

The teen growled in irritation.

"Well, I suppose I should inform you that you and I are going on a mission together"

Roy waited for the violent response. _'Any minute now, 1... 2... 3...'_

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

"Orders are orders Ed"

"This is some sick joke! It has to be!"

The young alchemist collapsed on the black leather sofa in defeat. He definitely wasn't getting out of this one.

"This isn't happening" he groaned.

"We leave at 9 tomorrow morning, I expect you to be waiting for me at the main gate"

"Yes sir" Ed mumbled.

Roy glanced at the young teen. He wasn't usually this quiet. The blonde rose to his feet and headed for the door.

"Ed, where do you think you're going?"

"TO GET SOME FUCKING SLEEP!"

'_Spoke too soon'_

_**It's not as long as I was hoping it to be, but the next few chapters will be longer. But thanks for reading : ) Much appreciated.**_


	3. Memories

**Hey again! Chapter 3 already? **

**Wow. I never expected to do this much so soon! Enjoy :)**

Ed tossed and turned in his bed, restless. Only the ticking of the clock could be heard through the darkness. It read 8:00 am; he glared at it in annoyance. It responded by sounding an ear splitting alarm without warning, which angered the alchemist even further.

"ARRGH! That clock has to die! Right here right now!"

In a swift action of his automail arm, the poor clock that was just doing its job soon collided with a wall, leaving its remains all over the floor. The Elric sighed. He couldn't remember the last time he managed to sleep through an entire night. He lay deep in thought.

'_Must have been before I went to the other side of the gate'_

Ed remembered how he would rest his head in his hands standing out on the balcony, gazing down at the unfamiliar city. There were pleasant memories, and not so welcome ones. Sometimes, he could still hear the familiar sirens and screams that echoed through his ears.

'_No wonder I'm not sleeping, I better get moving' _

Ed yawned, stretching his arms out in front of him, relieving the stiffness of his aching joints. After pulling back the curtains he did the troublesome task of braiding his hair. _'Snap',_ well almost.

"For the love of gate! Not now!"

His hair tie had snapped. Wonderful. That was just what he needed. Letting his golden locks fall to his shoulders he decided to find something to fix his problem later. He didn't have time right now. Taking a step backwards he heard something crunch under his heel. That damn clock. With a clap of his hands he returned the device to normal.

"SHIT!" after looking at the time he quickly changed and ran for the door, not bothering to lock it behind him.

"Stupid bastard colonel" The colonel was leaning contently against the main gate with his arms folded.

"Goldey locks, glad you decided to show up five minutes before the train leaves" he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Shut your trap!" Ed snapped.

"I don't feel like dealing with any of this crap today, especially from you, so don't push it!"

"Now now Ed, I'd hate for you to get cocky" The teen in question glared daggers.

"Hey bastard, where are we going?"

"Good of you to ask at last"

"Shut up and answer the fucking question"

"Ishbal, apparently there have been homonculus sightings. Fuhrer though it would be best to send someone who's dealt with them before"

"And you're going because?"

"To keep you out of trouble" Ed's eyes narrowed viscously. They continued walking in silence.

Only minutes later the two alchemists were sat opposite each other on a train. Ed sighed, leaning against the window in exhaustion. Roy stared questioningly; he had noticed Edwards's strange behaviour recently. Ed didn't pay any attention. He stifled a yawn and closed his eyes.

"Stupid bastard" he muttered, before dozing peacefully.

**I promise the upcoming chapters will have more action, but I'm still thinking about how this fic will eventually turn out. I was planning on having a Roy x Ed pairing but I'm not sure if everyone else will like it. I will probably do the pairing anyway, I just thought I would warn you all first incase you don't like yaoi before you keep reading.**

**Thank you :)**


	4. Restless

**Hey guys, remember me?**

**Ok, its only been a day since I last posted but many apologies.**

**I thought I would wait until I wrote two chapters until I next posted an update, but I was out all day today so I thought I would just update with what I had. Not my best work but I hope you enjoy.**

Roy Mustang looked at the sleeping boy on the seat across from him. He was wrapped snugly in his usual red attire, chest rising and falling peacefully. They had been travelling for just half an hour and Ed was out like a light. It was the first time the colonel had seen him sleep. He noticed how vulnerable and childish he looked. In all truth, he was hardly a child.

Roy had seen him grow from a twelve year old youngster to a rebellious 18 year old. He chuckled softly to himself. Rebel.

'_Yeah, that's definitely Ed'_

Still gazing at the young alchemist, a smile crept across his lips. Whoever knew the great Edward Elric could look so peaceful. The colonel definitely preferred the quieter side of Ed.

"Alfons..."

Roy turned his head back to the 'Hero of the people'.

"Nuuhh..." Ed began to groan and fidget restlessly, his brow furrowing.

"Ed?"

_Edward's Dream_

_Ed ran through the streets of Berlin, without stopping once to look behind him. The screams of women and children echoed in his ears, pleading to be spared. Crying desperately. His lungs felt tight, but he had to keep going. He stopped._

_All he could see was a puddle of crimson, flowing down the cobbled street. Freshly bombed streets in pieces, the strong flames consuming the ruins. There was a scream, which made the back of his neck stand on end. The footsteps behind him came to a halt. He was seized by the shoulder. Everything was shrouded in darkness._

"Edward!"

He jerked forward and let out a strangled cry. Shaking like a leaf, Ed collapsed back in his seat and looked up. He was surprised to find Mustang's gloved hands grasping his shoulders and blushed furiously. He looked up, small golden eyes met with dark narrowed ones, that looked filled with worry.

"You ok Ed?"

"I'm fine!" Ed insisted. Mustang frowned.

"Were you having a nightmare?"

There was a pause.

"No..."

They both knew this was a very unconvincing lie. The colonel smirked triumphantly and continued to admire the view.

"Ed... do you ever show weakness? It's nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to all of us"

"I TOLD YOU IM FINE!"

He was still shaking, but chose to ignore it.

"You know..." Ed looked across at Roy.

"Talking about it... might make you feel better..."

"I told you dammit! IM FINE!"

The blonde hastily covered his mouth. He said that a little louder than he had intended to.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"You don't trust me? Is that it?"

"Of course I do! I..."

Ed's gaze turned back to the window.

"I just... don't wanna talk about it..." he mumbled, barely loud enough for the colonel to hear.

"Come on FullMetal, this is our stop, we'll talk about this later"

Edward dragged his feet across the platform and sighed.

'_Back to the FullMetal again huh?'_

He felt disappointment well up inside of him, a strange mixture of hope and sadness. So much was racing through his mind right now.

As the two alchemists walked through the city of Ishbal an uncomfortable silence accompanied them both. Ed wanted to say so much. The colonel in question spoke, saving Ed from talking with the lump forming in his throat.

"Inns this way"

**Thank you so much to all those who have reviewed and subscribed! I can't thank you enough! Next chapter will be tomorrow or the day after.**

**: )**


	5. Realisations

**Hello! Sorry for the wait, was out again yesterday, many apologies.**

**I think after this chapter Roy will have to go into hiding with Ed's temper on the loose XD**

**Thanks for your kind reviews and subscriptions : )**

Ed tapped his automail fingers on the counter impatiently. He and the colonel were waiting for a room, and had been for over half an hour. Roy took pity on the unfortunate clerk, who had faced the darker side of Ed on more than one occasion that night.

_Half an hour earlier_

"_WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DONT HAVE ANY ROOMS?!"_

"_I'm sorry sir; we are fully booked for the next three weeks"_

_Ed's fist slammed down hard on the desk._

"_ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"_

"_I'm sorry sir, bu-"_

"_MUSTANG AND ELRIC! CHECK AGAIN!"_

"_I'm very sorry Mr Elric, but I don't have any reservations under any of those names"_

Ed was growing impatient. The longer he waited, the worse his temper became. Looking over his shoulder at Roy only angered him further. The flame alchemist was standing casually, hands in his pockets and a big smirk plastered across his face. Seeing Edward clenching his fists tighter only made him happier.

Sometimes he still questioned Ed's age. After returning to Amestris many years later, and after the incident with the philosopher's stone, it took Roy some convincing that Edward Elric was in fact 18 years old. It just didn't seem possible. It only seemed like yesterday that he had received a phone call regarding a young boy boarding a train to central, with a suspicious looking suit of armour accompanying him. What a funny world it was.

"Sir, we have explained already, all we can do is wait for a cancelation-"

"CANCELATION! Look pal, I'm in no mood for waiting in this lobby all night so how about giving us a room already!"

"We have no reservati-"

"RESERVATIONS MY ASS! YOU WANT RESERVATIONS? I'LL MAKE YOU ONE AT THE LOCAL FUCKING HOSPITAL YOU GODDAM ASSHOL-"

Ed was interrupted by a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Pipe down pimpsqueak, we'll go find somewhere else"

**Sorry that was short! Thanks for reading : )**


	6. Attitude

**Chapter 6? **

**I never thought I would make it this far XD**

**This is much longer than the last chapter, enjoy : )**

"I'd give up another limb to sleep on a soft mattress"

Ed sighed. Two hours after the inn incident, the two alchemists found themselves lying on the beds of cheap hotel room. Ed looked over his shoulder. The colonel was fast asleep, his mouth agape and his black hair sticking in different directions. The only sound drifting through the room was the soft snoring of Roy Mustang.

"You're so much nicer asleep"

With a deep sigh Edward pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin upon them. He just couldn't sleep. It was morning, and the small beams of golden sunlight escaped through the gaps in the blind. Only then did Ed's body clock decide it was time for him to sleep. The raven haired man in the bed next to him stirred and groaned tiredly. Ed buried himself deeper inside the covers, trying to block out the irritating fidgeting of "Colonel Asshole".

After lightly dozing for a few minutes Ed was rudely interrupted from his short slumber by a fully uniformed colonel who was half asleep himself.

"Edddd" Roy called softly, shaking the blonde by the shoulder

"Eddd..."

"Ed"

"EDWARD!"

The teen in question looked up at the colonel, rubbing his eyes angrily.

"Talk bout wakin up on the wrong side of the bed... jackass..." He said, followed by a yawn.

Roy raised an eye brow.

"What was that?"

"Nothin, what time is it?"

"Time for you to get up"

There was a pause.

"Not the answer I was looking for"

After another yawn, and clicking his stiff joints Ed peeled back the covers, flicked his bangs out of his eyes and dragged himself to the bathroom.

SLAM

Roy looked over to the bathroom door. Maybe waking him so early wasn't the smartest idea he'd ever had. Thinking back to the previous night, a furious Ed came to mind.

"God I hope he's not like that all morning"

The colonel mentally slapped himself. This was going to be one hell of a day. The click of the bathroom latch interrupted Roy from his thoughts and he looked over to see a familiar blonde emerge from the bathroom.

Sighing in annoyance, Ed dropped himself into the armchair and tied his hair into a high ponytail, just like his fathers. He rubbed his temples to ease the headache forming. Headache. That would explain why his head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. He groaned.

After several minutes of sitting in silence, Ed opened an eye to find a raven haired colonel staring in his direction. He growled. The offending colonel smirked in reply.

"We should get going soon"

"Mmm..."

"You should really get a move on FullMet-"

SLAM

Ed's automail fist collided with the coffee table, leaving a small crack in the glass. If the flame continued to anger him further he swore to slice something vital off the man.

"Well maybe I would get a move on if I wasn't so dam tired!"

"Keep your voice down FullMetal, there are other people trying to sleep"

The blonde looked over at Mustang narrowing his eyes.

"Don't give me that crap Colonel Jackass!"

"Edward, I demand you to control that temper of yours, it can be embarrassing"

"You think last night was bad?! Keep going like that and I'll show you angry!!!"

An awkward silence followed soon afterwards, until a nervous Roy cleared his throat.

"Now, if you're quite finished with that little speech of yours, we should REALLY get going"

Growling in annoyance, Ed pulled on his boots, gloves and an unfamiliar brown trench coat. Roy noticed it had the same familiar symbols on the back. Edward made his way to the door and glared over his shoulder.

"Are you coming or not?"

Roy awoke from his staring trance and followed behind Ed, locking the door behind him. He mentally noted how Ed looked much more handsome when he was sleeping.

He paused.

"_Did I just say handsome?"_

**I will post another few chapters today and tomorrow because I shall be unable to use the internet for four days. Thanks for reading!**

**And happy birthday for tomorrow PaperBagGhost! :) **


	7. Slacking Off

**Hello dear readers!**

**It's been a while hasn't it? I finally have access to the internet again :) **

**So I will post a few more chapters this week. Enjoy :) **

The Colonel and Ed regrettably parted ways, and planned to cover the entire city between them in just under 3 days. Edward Elric was not in the best of moods. As he kicked the gravel beneath his feet he could almost feel his blood boil. Life had been... unfair to him. Very unfair, and over the past few months it only seemed to get worse. There had been many times when handing in his state alchemist watch had seemed like a great idea. But some nights he would sit deep in thought in his favourite armchair. If Ed quit the military, what would he do? Other than getting Al's body back Ed hadn't planned his life after finding the stone. He had almost become obsessed with finding it. Alchemy had and always would be a great part of his life.

A strong blanket of wind blew his long bangs in his eyes, which reminded the blonde he was WELL overdue for a haircut. His long golden hair cascaded down his back and reached the bottom of his spine. If the wind could cut he was sure that right now he would be diced into a million pieces.

It was still early, and an eerie silence occupied the streets of Ishbal. The blonde alchemist dragged his boots along the gravel floor with no idea where he was heading. Homonculus could be anywhere. "I bet that stupid bastards slacking off in a bar somewhere"

Ed didn't like the feeling of being alone. Deep down he wished he could have stayed with the Colonel. He was always used to travelling with someone, mainly Al, who went everywhere with him. If was nice to have company from time to time, even if it was Roy Mustang....

Colonel Mustang raised the glass to his lips and inhaled the strong odour emitting from the glass. A musky brown liquid inhabited it. God knows what it was. All he knew was, it tasted so goddamn good. He felt a little guilty about slacking off. He knew that almost certainly Ed was trying his hardest.

The light tapping of rain on the glass made Roy think about Edward. If Ed caught him sitting at a bar swigging drinks he was sure he would return to central with a few... things missing. He could almost picture the young alchemist walking the streets of Ishbal, with his long hair sticking to his face and dark trench coat clinging to his small frame.

Roy saw a drunken looking brunette woman stumbling her way over to the table he was sitting at. Her hand rested on his thigh.

"How about you buy me a drink?"

He quickly downed the remaining contents in his glass and looked the woman in the eyes irritably.

"Sounds like you've had enough for one day"

The colonel closed the door behind him and began to feel the rain soak through his uniform.

"Time to head back"

Edward couldn't believe what he was seeing. Looking through the dripping glass, he saw a familiar blue uniformed raven haired colonel sitting on a stool by a counter. A brunette woman rested her hand on his thigh.

He gritted his teeth and continued walking, as if he had seen nothing.

Where was he going?

As far away as possible.

**Thank you for your reviews!**

**Sorry it's short. **

**From now on I'm going to try and make Ed less like a moody teenager; I think he deserves to be happy at some point in his life so I will lighten the atmosphere a bit. At least try to anyway.**

**Thanks again :) **


	8. Regrets

**Hey guys!**

**It's been a while I know, but I hope this chapter will make up for it :)**

**It's the longest I've posted so far, after a request from animefangirlNoriko I tried to make this a long one. Enjoy : )**

It had been a few hours since Ed's brief encounter with the Colonel; he was soaked to the bone. His wet clothes made it feel as if he had doubled in weight. It took a lot of effort to keep going. Exhaustion soon caught up, and with a damp thud Edward found himself slumped against a tree and he had smacked his head on the way down. He moaned, rubbing the back of his head with a gloved hand.

'_Just what I needed'_

He had no idea how long he was going to sit in the cold moping. Most probably until he got fed up of his wet condition. It was almost as if... he couldn't face the Colonel. After most of his fights with Al he always ended up taking a 'short' walk, which usually lasted several hours. It cleared his head. That was his way of dealing with problems life decided to throw at him. Back in Berlin before his father had disappeared, again, he taught his son much about the simple things in life, including life without alchemy.

Alchemy had only caused trouble for the Elric's, almost all of their problems could be traced back to a transmutation circle. Ed looked down at the hands resting on his knees. He could clearly see the joints in his automail through his white gloves. Each time he clapped his hands, Edward wondered what would happen next.

The blonde alchemist raked his flesh fingers through his loose hair, attempting to calm his thoughts. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"How long until I'm happy?" he asked himself, which was then followed by another deep sigh.

Ed was sure that if Hughes was still alive he would almost certainly be his next 'find a wife' victim. He remembered he had always been harassed with pictures of Elysia; her father would follow her like the paparazzi. He was always boasting about his precious little girl and his adorable family, something Ed had always envied. The word family itself brought him into an inevitable fit of frustration. Family. Something he could never see himself having.

Edward got steadily to his feet and decided it was time to finish his walk. Roy was probably expecting him. No, he wasn't.... was he?

He wasn't sure of anything. Ed was confused, but that didn't matter. He threw his ponytail over his shoulder and noticed something about his hands. They were shaking.

The click of the latch brought the Colonel to his feet; he was greeted by a very wet looking Edward. Ed's eyes wandered down the hall, only to meet a smug looking Roy, a sarcastic looking grin plastered on his face like a Cheshire cat. This didn't surprise him at all. Ed proceeded to kick off his boots with a sluggish groan and dumped his coat on the floor, leaving it to form a puddle of water on the laminate floor. A trail of water followed him to his favourite armchair.

"This must be what they call a drowned rat"

Silence.

"I hope you're going to clean that up FullMetal, this isn't the remake of Hansel and Gretel you know"

More silence.

Roy inwardly cringed. Something was wrong. He waited for a response, which usually came in the form of an angry rant, which never came. He looked over to the chair and saw a very pissed looking alchemist tapping his fingers on the armrest.

"I'm surprised you didn't drown out there"

Ed pulled off his gloves with his wet gloves using his teeth and threw them in Roy's direction. He briefly disappeared into the kitchen and soon emerged with a large concoction of alcohol. He had a feeling he would need this by the end of the evening.

"Ed I-"

The colonel was silenced by a glare. Edward sat forward in his chair and mentally braced himself before opening his mouth.

"Look, Colonel... Roy... you don't seem to understand"

"Understand?"

"I don't think the message is getting through to you, so I'm going to be a little clearer"

He rose out of the chair and stood over Roy. The colonel wasn't really listening. He was busy preparing himself for another shouting match with the FullMetal alchemist.

"Look Ed, I was just kidding, I-"

"WELL GUESS WHAT PAL? IM NOT! "

"I'm in no mood or a fight with you, so I'm going to be quick and clear. LEAVE. ME. ALONE!"

Roy lowered his head guiltily.

"Edward, I-" he was interrupted once more.

"FullMetal this, FullMetal that, you're always a bastard to me unless you want something!"

"I know I've been a little unfair to you-"

"UNFAIR? You want to know what's unfair? Well let me tell you! I spent the whole day walking in circles getting my ass soaked, while you were downing drinks with some woman at a bar!"

The angry blonde pointed to his forehead.

"Do I have something here?"

At this point Roy thought Ed had cracked.

"No"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive"

"Well maybe you should check again, I'm pretty sure you'll find the word MUG written on there somewhere!"

After his lecture was over, Edward proceeded to down his drink and go in search of a towel.

Roy Mustang sighed and leaned back in his chair. He felt incredibly stupid. If anything, he would like to get closer to Ed on this mission, but so far his plan had severely backfired. He'd driven him away even further.

Ed collapsed against the bath, with a towel thrown over his head carelessly. His hair had been released from its regular ponytail and spilled out over his shoulders. Tears threatened to spill, and he let them. Ed sighed in defeat.

The door creaked open, and Ed looked up to find Roy kneeling next to him. The colonel began the task of drying Ed's hair, moving his blonde head close to his chest.

"I was an ass today, I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you like this" He awaited a violent answer, but it never came.

"Roy?" Ed looked the raven haired Colonel in the eyes, his tears had stopped flowing.

"We'll look again tomorrow. Together."

**This chapter makes me embarrassed! I think it's not very good, but I'm glad I got the fight over with. From now on there will be less shouting from Ed for a while :) **


	9. Snow

**Hello! Me again : ) I would like to apologise for two things.**

**I was without internet for a week, which meant I couldn't update. Sorry!**

**I promised you less shouting from Ed. SORRY! But I do have an explanation, honestly! I don't think Ed would have let the Colonel off the hook so easily. There was an inevitable fight that I thought I should get over with, so I did.**

**Enough of my ranting, enjoy :)**

The two alchemists trudged slowly through the snow, one foot in front of the other. Roy looked ahead of them. All he could see was blinding white. This was going to be a rough day. The streets were thickly covered with an icy coat, and the Colonel was biting his tongue. A rambling blonde beside him was beginning to give him a headache.

"Since when does it snow in October! Crazy! Wait. Are you even listening to me?"

"Roy? Hellloooooooo Royyyyyyyy!!"

Roy didn't respond, and Ed decided to take drastic action.

SMACK!

The Colonel was interrupted from his thoughts by a very cold sensation down his back. After fidgeting on the spot he found a snowball lodged down his back.

"Ed! You-"

SMACK!

Right in the face. A small chuckle escaped from the culprit and Roy Mustang narrowed his eyes at the red nosed alchemist. His blonde hair was lightly dusted with ice, and his cheeks slightly tinted pink from the cold. The white scenery made him glow more than usual, although Ed had quite a different opinion on snow. It made his automail ports sore. A light spell of rain was painful enough. Imagine his delight when he opened the curtains to reveal a white city coated in a thick layer of the stuff.

He sniffed.

"You had it coming! You weren't listening!"

They continued to walk through the icy slush.

"I didn't realise you could be so childish FullMetal"

SMACK!

"Me, childish? NEVER! How could you accuse me of such a thing! I'm not the little brat I used to be you know"

"My mistake, my eyes must be deceiving me"

"WHOAREYOUCALLINGSOSMALLHECOULDRIDEONTHEBACKOFAGRASSHOPPER?!!"

"Pipe down Shorty, your attracting attention"

"Says the idiot parading around in a military uniform! If that's not suspicious then I don't know what is, you have an arrow above your head that says 'Kill Me' with flashing lights around it..."

The colonel sped up slightly, it was just noticeable. His eyes narrowed.

"I have nothing to hide. Let's face it Ed, I'm not exactly welcome with open arms around these parts. There's no reason to hide, these people know who I am... no point in trying to redeem myself."

Edward lowered his head guiltily, regretting what he just said instantly. He felt incredibly guilty. He blushed slightly and mumbled.

"Yeah? Well if you're ever Fuhrer you can tell em were to stick it..."

Roy could see his head lowering further to hide the increasing colour in his cheeks.

"That's easy for you to say Hero of the people"

The blonde growled in reply. He hated those nicknames. As flattering as it was it was just... so foreign to him. Back in Berlin it was a relief to get a break from being the 'hero'. So much was always expected of him, people were constantly expecting magnificent things. He often wondered if they mistook him for a magician.

A memory came to mind. Him and Al in Liore.

"_What are you? Some kind of circus act?"_

_Ed ignored the bartender and pointed to himself and Al smugly._

"_we are the Elric brothers, were quite well known"_

Ed regretted his cockiness as a kid; his mouth was always getting him into trouble. Sometimes, It was nice to take a backseat from the action for a change. It was an easier life.

After returning Al to his human form, things were much simpler. He found that he had more time on his hands, especially at night. Usually, Edward would get a few hours shut eye and spend the rest of the night studying. It took its toll on him.

"Ed?"

"Huh?" Edward was out of his daze and found a similar hand shaking him by the shoulder.

"You ok?"

"Uhhh... Yeah... Thanks" Ed shifted awkwardly.

"You seemed... out of it"

"It's nothing, just- Hey! Would you mind removing your hand from my persons?"

The offending hand was placed back in its pocket; the owner had a small blush occupying his cheeks.

"I apologise for being remotely worried about you"

"Anyone would think you're gay..."

"That's rich coming from a man that looks like Rapunzel..."

"RAPUNZEL!"

"Oh Edward, Edward let down your hai-"

SMACK!

Ed backed away slowly.

"uhh... I'm starting to think that wasn't such a great ide-"

SMACK!

"You want a fight huh? Then I'll give you one"

Both alchemists grinned maliciously at each other, Ed made the first move. Creeping up behind an oblivious Colonel he shovelled a large handful of snow in his face, earning himself an immediate glare.

"Uh... see you later!" Edward ran looking for cover, he ran into a warehouse in hope of an escape. He froze. Roy ran after him grinning. He hated to admit it, but... he was actually having fun on this mission. Fun and mission were usually two words that didn't belong in the same sentence, or universe in his opinion.

"Ed! Come here you little-"

"Pimpsqeak! Haven't you grown? Your father would be so proud!"

***sighs with relief***

**I'm glad I finally uploaded something!**

**Thank you for waiting, See you next chapter :)**


	10. Familiar Faces

**Hello : )**

**Once again, sorry for the lateness! Enjoy!**

"Y-y-ou..." Ed's nerves had suddenly got the better of him, he was transfixed. His eyes didn't seem to move, he couldn't seem to pry them off the familiar figure just inches from him. It was inevitable he would eventually run into Envy on this mission, but unwelcome memories came flooding back to him from that night...

"What's wrong Eddie? Cat got your tongue?"

After a long pause from Ed, Envy rolled his eyes.

"Like getting blood from a stone! Honesty Ed, were are your manners?"

"Ed?"

The Colonel was attempting to get some kind of response from the blonde, and was failing miserably. He looked from Ed to the man standing in front of him. He had no idea who he was, but by judging from Ed's reaction, being in his presence definitely wasn't an honour.

"H-h-h-i-m-m... h-h-h-e-e-s..."

A shaky gloved hand pointed to the 'stranger.

"Edward?"

Roy looked back to the unfamiliar person. His eyes met a tall blonde man, his hair and eyes identical to the blonde teenager beside him. He was wearing a white button up shirt, much like the alchemist.

"I don't know who you are, but its definitely not an hour to meet you"

Envy smirked and stepped closer.

"Say another word and I'll-"

"YOU LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!" Ed yelled, stepping in front of Roy like a shield.

"Feisty today aren't we brother!"

"Shut up!" The blonde clasped his hands over his ears in hope of blocking out the mocking tone of the homonculus. He was shaking, and it seemed as if his eyes were welded shut. Roy looked horrified at the sudden revelation. He looked from Envy to Edward, again and again. He took a few paces towards Envy and pointed to him accusingly.

"You liar! Your lying... right Ed?"

The homonculus smirked and raised his head, making sure his eyes were level with Roy's. The Colonel found himself lost in the familiar golden gaze.

'_Could it be... true?'_

"Ed..?"

"Edwar-"

Before he could finish, Roy was roughly shoved backwards into a wall. A tight fist had a hold of his neck making sure he wouldn't attempt to escape.

"Now..." Envy looked down at the colonels gloves.

"Flame, I would hate for you to spoil such a beautiful reunion!"

He tightened his grip and raised Roy an inch from the floor, producing a choking sound from him. Roy raised his hands, attempting to pry Envy's fingers from his neck. The homonculus in question only laughed maliciously and raised him higher.

"Make another move and your toast my friend!"

"STOP!"

Roy's vision was beginning to blur, and Envy dropped him instantly causing the Colonel to smack his head on the wall in the process.

"And tell me Edward, why would I do that?"

"Because, I'll.... hurt you!"

"I guess you finally realised you can't kill me!"

"I will! I'll make sure of it! I'm gunna kill you once and for all you bastard!"

Ed was about to clap his hands when Envy interrupted him.

"Oh really? Do you remember what happened the last time you tried?"

There was a blinding flash, and a startled Colonel shielded his vision. When he looked back, his eyes seemed to be deceiving him. Stood next to Ed, was a young blonde teenager, with a golden braid thrown over his shoulder. His familiar black attire had been pierced by a bladed through his chest. He took a step towards Ed and opened his mouth to speak. No words came. Just the splatter of blood dribbling down his chin.

Envy kneeled beside Edward, who struggled to compose himself. He knew Envy was trying to mess with his emotions, and succeeding. He bit down hard on his lip to keep himself alert.

"Eddd..." the homonculus spat a crimson liquid over the Elric's white shirt.

"Edward? What's going on?"

Ed turned to face Roy. He felt sorry for the man, and a pang of guilt occupied his heart. The poor Colonel must have been so confused. If anything happened to him, he would never forgive himself.

"Roy, listen to me, I'll explain later, just go!"

"I'm not leaving! Don't be stupid!"

"GO! I'm not getting anyone else involved, this is personal!"

Envy took advantage of a distracted blonde and rewarded him a hard kick in stomach. Ed yelped in pain and could already feel the bruising sting across his middle. The clone of Ed was now crouched down in front of Roy and coughed more blood. He began to torment the flame alchemist.

"Roy! –cough- Where were you Roy? –cough-"

"Shut up!"

The Colonel was convinced it would take more than a measly act to slow him down. He was about to snap his fingers when Envy took a hold of his hand and fiercely squeezed. Roy gritted his teeth and held back a muffled scream; he could feel the bones crunching in Envy's grip.

"Where were you when I needed you most?!" spat Envy, coating Roy with a thick coat of blood.

"Say goodbye Colonel! I'll see you on the other side!" He proceeded to pull the blade from his chest and was ready to slice the flame when-

"GOODBYE!"

The FullMetal alchemist delivered a swift kick to his head and swiped the blade from his hands. He raised it high and aimed for his throat. An automail hand grasped his own tightly, restricting its movement. Ed looked back at the homonculus. It was like a reflection of his younger self, but it wasn't him. Not that pathetic monster. Ed smirked as Envy grew restless.

"Scared of dying are we? I know the feeling"

**Finished : ) **

**I'm glad I finally posted! I swear my laptop was giving me evils...**

**Thank you to all my readers and reviewers!**


	11. Fight For Justice

**Hi !**

**I'm sure your all bored of authors notes, so I will say enjoy the chapter!**

Envy's gaze settled on Ed and he grinned maliciously.

"Scared?!" The homonculus broke into a fit of cackling, shaking as he still had a hold of Ed.

"You soon will be!"

Edward became aware of a shuffling sound, the Colonel attempting to walk over and assist him. Walk was a big word. Perhaps stumble. Light flooded into their vision, as Envy's shape shifted to his original form.

"Tired of playing dress up are we?"

"Oh you have no idea Edward! All this fighting makes me so drowsy, so how about we finish this quickly?"

Ed could feel the grip on his arm loosen, he growled with determination as the blade moved closer to its target. With a final push he moved to swipe Envy, only to find the blade turned back on himself...

The next thing Edward became aware of was a hard, cold, concrete floor, and a warm liquid soaking his shirt. As he tried to move, his limbs only responded sluggishly.

'_Funny, I don't remember being pumped full of lead...'_

"Ed?" That voice. It was familiar...

"Roy?" He winced. Dam it hurt to move. He looked up to get a better view of Roy, who was crouching over him, checking for injuries. The Colonel appeared fine, with acceptions for one of his useless hands.

"Where's-"

SNAP. Roy turned hastily and doused a familiar figure in flames. Ed hoisted himself into a seating position, instantly regretting it.

"Ed! Don't move! You'll only make the bleeding worse!"

"FLAME YOU BASTARD!"

An irritating screech reminded Roy to snap his fingers again, torching a screaming homonculus.

"Bleeding?" Ed looked down to realise his shirt was drenched in blood. His own. A metal spike impaled his left side; he winced as he tried to get a better look. SNAP. The warmth of the most recent batch of flames warmed his face, and Ed struggled to his feet, much to the disapproval of his body.

"Damn, think I broke a couple of ribs too..."

"Ed! You fool! Let me deal with thi-"

"I told you its personal"

"FullMetal, are you disobeying orders from a superior officer-"

"I SAID ITS PERSONAL! If anyone's going to finish this bastard it's me!" he stumbled over to a recuperating Envy, who was glaring daggers.

"Why?"

"Excuse me?" a snickering blonde admired his handy work, eyeing the blade jutting out of Ed's side.

"You heard me. Why?"

"You. It's all about you."

"Excuse me? I'm a little confused right now, care to fill me in on the details?"

"I'LL GIVE YOU DETAILS IF YOU WANT THEM!" the screeching homonculus surprised Ed with his sudden change in tone, causing him to jump. Envy lunged forward, and tried to grab hold of the alchemist's throat. Ed however, was in no condition to start a fight.

Bracing himself for the pain to come he dived out of harm's way and clapped his hands, caging Envy. The clapping sound alone informed Roy the fighting still continued. He couldn't help but smile. He saw Edward trying to ignore the pain gnawing away at him, yet he still refused to let his guard down. If Roy didn't do something soon, he would be rushing an unconscious blonde in his arms to the nearest hospital. The thought alone made it hard to breathe.

Although he would never admit it to anyone, he was flooded with worry. He couldn't lose a precious alchemist like Ed, who was precious to him in more than one way. It would take an unfortunate change of events to make him realise just how precious he was.

"Why?"

Envy growled like he caged animal he was, narrowing his golden eyes viciously. His attitude wasn't getting him anywhere, so Ed made all very clear. He dangled a key, just inches from his reach, representing freedom.

"WHY? YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?! FINE, I'LL TELL YOU!"

"There I was, minding my own business as we immortals do, when I hear a rumour that caught my attention!" Ed signalled for him to continue.

"The FullMetal alchemist had returned! And I thought to myself, what a great opportunity! Time to so what should have happened three years ago!"

"Why come after me?! I no longer have the stone; I'm of no further use to you! Is this about revenge? If you think killing me in the answer to your problems then please! Do give it a try!"

"Oh brother! You have no idea! You know what it feels like to have everything taken from you right? Believe it or not I actually had a life once! And a family! Until I got myself killed!"

"Tell me something I don't know, please"

A growl emerged from the cage.

"My parents tried to bring my back, after seeing the result, my father left. To start a perfect family with some Trisha bitch!"

"Shut up! Don't you dare talk about my mother that way!"

An automail arm seized Envy's throat, who made a violent choking noise as his head collided with the metal bars.

"Take it back!" The homonculus rolled his eyes as if he had heard nothing.

"TAKE IT BACK!"

After a long silence, the familiar clap of hands pierced the silence, much to the protest of his left side. With a flash, he sent several beams of concrete through the cage, along with Envy. The homonculus continued to smirk, cursing his current situation.

"Sorry Edo, its gunna take a bit more than that with me!"

SNAP.

"Edward Elric! This is getting ridiculous, I demand you to-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!"

With a thud the blonde alchemist collapsed to the floor, taking deep ragged breaths to satisfy his screaming lungs, only to double over in further pain.

"Since-when-was I-inhaling-glass!"

"Edward!" Roy held the blonde in his arms, checking the severity of his injuries.

'_Dammit Roy! Can it get any worse?'_

The Colonel mentally slapped himself at his stupidity. Golden orbs drifted aimlessly, unfocused and tired.

"Ed!"

"What!"

"we need to get out of here"

"Well-duh! What-about-him!"

"Him?"

"Bastard-over-there" he signalled to Envy.

"Leave him! That's the least of our problems right now!"

"Its-just-a-scratch!-just-let-me-"

"Ed! You are more important right now! I won't have any of my men dying on me! That's an order!"

"ooooo listen to him!"

SNAP.

The eldest Elric blushed slightly. He wasn't in the most comfortable situation. He was in the arms of a handsome colonel with several inches of metal impaled in his side. Wonderful.

**I think that's the longest chapter so far!**

**Time for me to post and rest up my hands, thank you to those of you still following this story! I thank you all : )**


	12. Remembering

**Hey !**

**I saw a blonde woman with a braid riding her bike today, and it reminded me to write another chapter, Enjoy : )**

"Please Ed, just listen to me! You know we can't kill him anyway!"

"Let me try! If I don't do this now, he'll never go away!"

The Colonel sighed in frustration. He decided there was only one thing left to do. It wasn't the time or the place, but he couldn't leave it any longer.

"Ed, there's something I think you should know"

"Colonel?"

"Roy."

"What?"

"Call me Roy. We've known each other far too long for formalities Edward"

The blonde turned his head in attempt to hide a slight blush. He was confused about his feelings for a certain raven haired alchemist. He had never felt like this before. The feeling was... so new to him.

Ed never had the time to settle down with a soul mate. After all, most of his time had been devoted to missions, and looking for the philosopher's stone. There were very few people who could say they knew the FullMetal Alchemist personally. He often admitted to his brother Al that at the age of 18, he should have easily been able to find a date. A young soldier such as himself was very rare material around central. He was still the youngest person in the military.

Sometimes, age could be an issue. It was often hard to socialise outside of work. Havoc was only interested in women, Hughes only babbled on about his adorable daughter, Hawkeye had an unhealthy obsession with guns, and being female it was only natural for her to socialise with the other women.

Roy on the other hand, was very different from his younger subordinates. He was 31, and kept to himself at most social gatherings. Like Ed, he preferred to dwell in his own company. Every outing usually ended the same. The gang would drown themselves in alcohol, leaving an uncomfortable and sober Roy and Ed sitting in the corner silently.

Ed could remember a similar situation, at a formal ball he had once been forced to attend. Hawkeye had threatened him into defeat. He could almost feel that same tie still restricting his airways. In Ed's opinion, that very night had turned out to be "A complete fucking waste of time". The night itself had consisted of Edward spending most of the evening at the cocktail bar. Alone.

_The colourful liquids swirling around in his glass was just enough to keep Edward occupied. His legs hung loosely from the high barstool. Looking over towards the drunken mob of soldiers made his heart sink. It reminded him he was one of the few people who had arrived without another companion. With a sigh he proceeded to down the remaining contents of the glass. It was then, that he noticed someone occupying the stool next to him._

'_Those gloves...'_

'_Shit. It really doesn't get any worse than this does it?'_

_He groaned._

"_What the hell do you want?"_

"_Easy FullMetal, I would hate for you to spoil the party with that temper of yours"_

_A growl came from the blonde, whose eyes remained fixed on the empty glass._

"_Why sit here? There are plenty of other places for bastards like you to sit, how about you go give that red head over there some company? I'm sure she's very much your type"_

"_That's right, I would hate to give people the impression that we were friends..."_

"_Just go! Go tell everyone how much of a bastard I am! Go tell them how many friends I don't have!"_

"_FullMetal-"_

"_Shut up!"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_You heard me! I'm sick of this; you really think I want to be here? I would much rather be... ON MY OWN." _

_Without hesitation Ed climbed down from his stool and proceeded to make an exit._

It was after this event that Roy Mustang realised that all the bickering that had happened over the years, was just a cover up. To give people the impression that they couldn't stand each other. Perhaps he was too much of a coward to confess his true feelings. It hurt to see Ed so angry. Especially when he knew that he was the source of the blame.

Roy gathered Edward in his arms, and took to his feet.

"What the hell! Put me down-ummphh!"

The babbling alchemist was shushed by a hand covering his mouth. If there wasn't a metal blade impaled in his side, he could have been quite comfortable in the Colonels arms.

"Edward Elric, if you continue to be such a pain in the a-"

SNAP.

"I'm going to have to poke your injuries to shut you up"

"You wouldn't!"

A mischievous gleam occupied his eyes. Ed knew he would jump at the chance to inflict pain upon him. Roy levelled his eyes with Ed's.

"Now let's get out of here"

With a final snap of his fingers, Roy turned towards the exit and made a bid for freedom, when a ray of light formed behind them. The ceiling began to crumble...

**Sorry it was a bit short! Hope you enjoyed it, thank-you to all my readers and reviewers : )**


	13. Determination

**Another chapter so soon?!**

**I surprised myself. I sat down for 10 minutes, and 10 turned into an hour.**

**Enjoy :)**

"-cough- You jinxed us you idiot! You and your big –cough- mouth!"

The rattling coughs echoed through the darkness, and the only sound passing through Roy's eardrums was the shallow breaths of Edward. Each breath sounded as if it took more and more effort.

Ed on the other hand was struggling to focus on anything at all. It was pitch black, and his body felt incredibly numb. He tried to move his arm. A big mistake. A burning sensation flared through his muscles, making him cry out in pain. He gritted his teeth. Now was not the time to pity himself.

Roy was just a few inches away. He was only suffering from a few bruises on his side where he landed. Grimacing, he thought of the wonderful purple and yellow colouring that would undoubtedly decorate his ribs the next day. Other than a slab of wood across his leg and an irritating leaky pipe above his head, he decided that for now he would live. Hearing a hiss of pain coming from the blonde somewhere next to him, he opened his eyes. Although he couldn't see anything.

"Ed?"

"Over here

"Where's here?"

"You tell me! You're the flame alchemist dummy! –cough-"

Click.

A small flame pierced the darkness, and Roy could just about see what he was doing. What was he doing? He had no idea. Moving himself closer to Ed he was unprepared for what he saw. His blonde hair had been stained with crimson highlights, and most of his body was covered in debris. He was trapped on his right side, and the injured side wasn't looking any better either.

"Shit."

Roy was going into panic mode as soon as he realised the seriousness of the situation.

"Which way's out?"

"Other side of my goddamn arm!" he yelled in frustration. It appeared that Ed was caught in what was once the doorway. Getting out would be tricky. Any move he made could cause the remaining debris to collapse, ruining any chances of escape. The blonde moved his head towards the light.

"Are you hurt?"

"My arm might be broken" A sharp flare of pain moved through his muscles as he finished,

"No, its definitely broken. But I'm okay..."

"G-cough- Good"

Roy looked over at the spluttering teen, noticing that his face was lacking a little colour. Not too surprising, after all, he'd lost a lot of blood. Mustang cleared his throat nervously.

"Can you move?"

"Does it look like it?" Ed muttered.

Something bothered him. His only functioning limb was his flesh arm; he couldn't feel his right leg at all. He tried to flex his toes, seeing if they would move, but they wouldn't budge. It was then that Edward Elric began to worry. This was bad. Very bad, and with internal injuries, he sure wasn't getting out of this one. Ed closed his eyes and attempted to calm himself. The last thing he needed to do was panic.

-cough-

Something tasted metallic in his mouth, and the familiar feeling of blood dripping from his chin set the alchemist into panic mode.

Roy widened his eyes with worry; the teen was struggling to breath, his chest began to rise up and down irregularly.

"Just stay still ok? Everything's going to be-"

"R-Roy! –cough-"

"I'll get you out! Just stay calm-"

"ROY!"

Ed's sudden outburst caused his lungs to burn, and more crimson liquid seeped from the corners of his mouth.

"Y-Yes?"

"I can't feel my leg"

The Colonels gaze wondered to the limb in question, as did the flame. The sight immediately caused him to wince. He glanced back to the wound. He saw blood. Lots of it. He wasn't sure how deep the damage was, he couldn't bring himself to look again. The blonde spoke up,

"How b-b-bad is it?"

"Its..." his voice trailed off uncomfortably, only worrying Ed more.

"God-d-damn it just tell me! –cough-"

"It's... pretty bad"

"Can't you move the-"

"No."

"You sure you can't-"

"Pretty sure"

Ed went quiet, and his eyes began closing.

"Keep you eyes open"

The Elric smiled grimly as his eyelids rose.

"Y-yes s-sir!"

He was shivering. Definitely not a good sign. If they both waited much longer, it was almost certain they would suffocate.

Ed gritted his teeth.

"Ed?"

The blonde swallowed hard and began to focus. He reached over to his automail, ignoring the pain coming from his side. Then, he began to pull. Biting down hard on his lip, he tried to ignore the pain. This was for Roy...

"EDWARD!" a gloved hand held his own tightly, but he was determined to do this.

"Let go!"

"No!"

"Just-"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Promise me you w-won't try to s-stop me!"

"I can't-"

"Just promise! –cough-"

"I'll get us out! Just-"

"IM NOT LETTING YOU DIE BECAUSE OF ME!" he doubled over in pain,

"I-IF I GAVE UP, I WOULD NEVER F-FORGIVE MYSELF!"

"I-"

"I WONT LET YOU D-DIE! NEVER! –cough-" The grip on his hand tightened.

"Just let me tell you first" Ed looked up in confusion.

"Promise you'll hear me out..."

"R-R-Roy?"

The Colonel smiled softly at the use of his name, he took a deep breath.

"Edward, I-"

But then he was silenced, by the most beautiful thing in the world. A blonde teen caught his lips with his own.

**I finally made it happen!**

**Took me 13 chapters, but I got there in the end!**

**See you next chapter : )**


	14. I Promise

**Enjoy the chapter folks : )**

"Ed? Wh-"

"Shhh..."

A pale blonde raised a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. Smiling awkwardly, Ed gazed blankly at the floor before proceeding.

"I didn't wanna die without doing that first..."

His golden eyes remained focused on the concrete floor, he exhaled in disappointment. He wasn't sure what to do next. Only one thing was clear, he'd just made a huge mistake. It was clear to Ed he wasn't liked in return, and if he wasn't trapped right now, it was clear he would be shying away with embarrassment.

"How long?"

"W-what?"

"How long?"

There was a pause. Ed really wasn't so sure how to answer. How long indeed? He had absolutely no idea. There was only one thing he did know...

"As l-long as I can r-remember..."

A warm gloved hand titled his chin, he found himself lost in a familiar pair of handsome black eyes, which appeared to be narrowed suspiciously. Ed could feel warm breath against the side of his face, making him shiver uncomfortably.

"Are you sure? There's plenty of other guys better than me out there..."

"-cough- N-no! Of course not! –cough-"

"Then why-"

"Because it felt right!" before he could continue, Edward was interrupted by another fit of chesty coughs. His lungs ached terribly, but he had to do this. It could be his last chance. He took a deep breath...

"Y-you think I wanted this? –cough- At f-first, I thought there was something wrong w-with me! I-I m-mean, how could I like the g-greatest womaniser in c-central?! C-crazy r-right?"

"Stop Ed! You'll only make yourself worse! Please, we can have this conversation another ti-"

"No! –cough- I need to d-do this! I've waited a-all my life to say t-this, and some fucking cough won't stop me! –cough-"

"Does Al know?"

"Of c-course n-not! I couldn't t-tell anyone! Can you imagine what p-people would say?"

The blonde felt warm tears grace his cheeks, he gave a small smile. He wasn't so sure what he crying for. Wasn't this supposed to be one of the greatest decisions he'd ever made in his life? If people could see him now, the great FullMetal alchemist getting so worked up over a stupid rejection.

"I'm s-sorry"

"Sorry?"

"I'm s-sorry I ever told you! B-but now you know! Now you know t-that everyday I think about you! Even in my d-dreams you won't go away! And n-now, now I'm stuck in a fucking warehouse w-with you! –cough-"

When the coughing died down Ed grimaced at the feeling of more tears soaking his face. That was until he realised, they belonged to someone else.

Roy lowered his head. He couldn't believe this was happening. He'd dreamt of this moment many times before, but... it wasn't like this. It was without the blood, without the tears. Pushing his pride aside for once in his life, he looked Ed in the eyes. So what if he saw him like this? This was only chance, and Roy Mustang was going to do it right.

The Colonel tenderly pressed his lips to the blondes, making it clear exactly what he wanted.

_Roy sighed in defeat and glared at the huge pile of paperwork delightfully gracing his desk. Today, had been a very bad day. Everyone had bad days... right?_

_Sometimes he struggled to convince himself bad things did happen to other people. On many occasions it really didn't seem like it. And when unfortunate things did happen? There was no one to comfort him. No one to tell him everything was ok. So what If he was the flame alchemist? Everyone lets down their defences once in a while... right?_

_It was at this moment in his office, he felt entirely alone._

_The ticking of the clock echoed through the room. Its only purpose seemed to be reminding him how much a loner he was. There was no sound to interrupt its continuous ticking. Not a phone call, nor a pin drop, or even the scribbling of a pen that he should be signing documents with. Life had been like this for a long time. Quiet. He often thought about how unfair it was, that a great alchemist like himself had to be cooped up in an office all day. He sighed._

_It was just moments ago Roy had tried to relax in the lunch hall. His efforts had been fruitless. He couldn't go anywhere without hearing one sarcastic comment. Of course he was used to it, but one particular comment from Havoc still proceeded to play continuously in his head._

"_For goodness sake Havoc, don't tell me your still moping about that girl! STILL. Do us all a favour, go to a bar and don't come back until your smiling again."_

"_Shut up!"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Your heard me asshole! I am sorry for being a little pissed off right now; you seem to forget not all of us have a perfect love life unlike yourself"_

"_What are you implying Havoc?"_

"_You know what? I wouldn't be surprised if it was you! You steal all my girls you fucking whore!"_

"_Jean!"_

_The sound of raised voices was beginning to attract attention._

"_It's Havoc to you."_

_He was sick of it. This reputation that seemed to hang around him like a leech. Little did everyone know, Roy Mustang had been alone for many years now. He just couldn't find the words to change it all..._

"Thank you"

"W-what? I don't understand, I t-thought you hated-"

Roy captured his lips once more.

"I never hated you Ed, if only I told you sooner. I never planned on telling you like this..."

Edward smiled. They were both crying like babies. He reached out a hand, raking it through the Colonels tangled raven hair.

"I promise, when we g-get out of h-here... as long as I-I'm around –cough- I won't l-let anyone make y-you cry again. You h-hear me?"

The blonde proceeded to grip his automail tightly, much to the disapproval of Roy.

"Ed please! We can find another way, don't do this!"

"I have to"

"Why?"

"The shivers have stopped."

They both knew this was a bad sign. If Ed wasn't treated soon, it was almost certain he would die of blood loss. Edward looked back once more.

"See you on the other side bastard. My bastard..."

****sighs with relief****

**I posted three chapters in a week, I'm so proud of myself!**

**Hope you liked it : ) **

**How many chapters should I write? Maybe I could do up to 20... What do you guys think?**


	15. Unpredictable

**Thank you for your reviews! It makes me happy knowing people enjoy reading this story, especially as this is my first fic. And so, I dedicate this next chapter to all of you : )**

The first thing he became aware of was blood. The sheer mass of it. The stench alone was enough to make him gag. The sight of it. A Nile of crimson ran across the tousled paving slabs, staining it red. Roy opened an eye. He could just make out the ruins in front of him, the shattered blocks of concrete scattered for miles around. He'd never seen anything like it.

A cold trickle of liquid dripped down his left eye. Raising a shaky hand to check for damage, he realised the seriousness of the situation. This wasn't his blood.

"Ed!" a small cry was all he could manage. Opening his other eye he scanned the ruins for the familiar head of cold. Roy propped himself into a seating position using his only good hand. He still couldn't see a trace of Edward.

Drip.

Another icy flow of red made his vision hazy, stinging his eye. He craned his neck.

"ED!"

Stumbling to his feet, he clambered over the rubble. The cold stung his face, he hurled himself forwards, collapsing to his knees. For a moment he was confused. This wasn't happening... was it? The man in his arms was still. Only the small movement of his chest rising and falling showed he was just about living. A line of blood stained his hairline, white flakes of snow catching in his delicate lashes. Edward Elric was not in good shape.

Only a bloody stump remained were his automail ports had once been, the flesh looked sore and frozen. Exposed like that, it was begging for infection. Without hesitation Roy awkwardly removed his jacket, wincing as he pulled the sleeve over his broken arm.

Using the other hand and his teeth, he managed to make a few make shift bandages and began the task of wrapping the wounds. He began with his leg. He reached out a hand, but stopped before his fingertips could brush against it. He flinched. The punctured flesh oozed with blood. It was everywhere. Frozen into icy patches on the floor and running down the upturned paving slabs, turning the snow into red slush.

"Dammit Roy get a hold of yourself!"

He quickly wrapped the leg, and attempted to tighten the knot in the material. His hands were shaking. He hated the cold, always had done. But now was defiantly not the time to start getting pissed at nature. The Colonel looked at Ed, and then the thickening snow.

Time was running out. He had to get a move on. He counted backwards from three.

3....

2....

1....

With a heave he got to his feet, taking Ed with him. The blonde nestled safely in his arms. Roy's elbow stung like hell. It was screaming from the pressure. Biting his lip, the Colonel dragged his feet through the snow, heaving himself forward. He was surprised Edward felt so light in his arms. He had to admit it was slightly worrying the teen didn't weight much for his age. But minus a few limbs, it really wasn't surprising.

The streets were empty, not a soul to be seen. If anyone had seen them? It was unlikely they would help. Why would they?

Roy couldn't blame them. The military had only caused trouble for Ishbal; it was unlikely the peace would start now. But he wasn't going to let Ed suffer because of their mistakes.

He took another step and stumbled. He could feel the icy slush seep into his boots. The Colonel was heading to the same surgery they had passed that very morning. He could remember certain landmarks, the phone booth, and the cobbled pavement. So close, yet so far.

Roy looked at the sleeping blonde in his arms. Ed's eyes remained closed, face dangerously pale. He could feel the blood seeping through the bandages. It soaked through his shirt, making him shuddered uncomfortable. The sticky substance was unbearable.

A cold breeze made the back of his neck stand on end. Roy noticed the gaping holes in his haggard looking gloves, cursing the broken transmutation circle. If he wasn't so useless they wouldn't be in this mess, would they? He quickened the pace, limbs protesting painfully. It couldn't finish like this. After all, he was Roy Mustang.

_The cool summer breeze was a blessing in disguise. Edward Elric lay on his back, with his arms folded under his head, watching the sunset. It was moments like this the prodigy embraced with open arms. It wasn't often he could enjoy simple things like this. The silence, and his own company._

_There was no one to remind him how short he was._

_No one to tell him how much he'd screwed up in life._

_No one to make him feel guiltier than he already was._

_He continued to admire the clouds, different colours merging together. There were two that especially caught his eye. Yellow and orange. They blended together nicely, like the comforting flames of a fire. Fire. Roy. Bastard._

_The Colonel was very much like a flame. Unpredictable. Sometimes a flame will comfort you, attract you to its warmth. Other times, it can scold you without warning and burn viscously. It was just moments ago Edward had suffered from the consequences of playing with fire._

"_It wasn't m-"_

"_Don't give me that! You collapsed half a city! There's barely anything left of it! I've had enough, I'm cutting your research budget."_

"_You can't do that!! It was nothing to do with me! If only you'd stop making accusations and just listen to me-"_

"_FulllMetal! I would stop right there if I were you! This isn't a game, it's the military. I've always treated you like an adult ever since you got that pocket watch, so I expect you to act like one."_

"_Just-"_

"_You are dismissed!"_

_Dam that bastard. If only he'd listen. Perhaps if Ed wasn't so young the Colonel would stop treating him like something on the bottom of his shoe. It was today he had been hoping to confess to his beloved Roy. His. That was a joke. He raked his automail fingers through his bangs. He decided to postpone this conversation for now. Looking to his metal limbs he could only think of all his mistakes._

_Was this a mistake too?_

_Edward looked back at the sky. The colours had gone, along with his hopes. The flamboyant orange had been replaced with a deep shade of blue, small bursts the silver punctured the darkness. It was time for him to get going. Time to leave again, there was no hurry. Another five minutes wouldn't kill._

_Little did Edward know, this was the last sunset he would enjoy at central for many years to come._

He was beginning to give up hope. The cold stung his airways viscously as the temperature continued to drop. He was unconsciously walking through the doorway of the hospital, not even sure if he was in the right place. Roy fell to his knees, exhausted.

He looked down at Ed, whose breaths were getting fainter and fainter.

With a final breath, the rising and falling of his chest ceased.

****stretches****

**That was a long one. Forgive me for the cliffy, I will put you out of your misery in the next few days. Sorry if the pace of this chapter was slow, see you soon : )**


	16. Unforgivable

**Hello :)**

**Ok, I was asked by a few people to explain why I included a flashback in the last chapter. **

**The answer? Because I wanted to : D **

**Enjoy.**

"Ed?"

His chest remained still.

"Edward!"

Roy was desperately checking for a sign of life, the slightest twitch of a hand, the faintest heartbeat. Putting an ear to Ed's chest, he listened. He checked again, and again, hoping his ears were deceiving him. No matter how much he wished, the blonde's body remained lifeless in his arms.

'There has to be a way dammit!'

He paused for a moment, before raising his head. When he looked up, he saw white. But he wasn't outside anymore. This was a different kind of white. The hallway had been drained of colour, there was only the sight of white walls, tiles and uniforms.

Uniforms?

A hospital! A real miracle! At least it would have been, if the staff hadn't continued as if they had seen nothing.

"Help him, please!"

The nurses and doctors continued with their conversations without battering an eye lid. He had to do something, anything to make them listen.

"Do something! Please!"

Still nothing. In a moment of panic he placed his hands over Ed's chest, ready to give the teen compressions. Just as he was ready to continue he yelled in pain. His arm, of course there was no way he could do this with only one functioning hand. He called out in desperation again.

"Please!"

No response. Roy could feel a stream of tears gracing his cheeks, his heart welled with sadness. He wasn't sad. He was broken. How could they?!

He cried out once more.

"FOR GODS SAKE PLEASE!" His desperate cries echoed through the silent corridor. All heads turned towards him, listening. The doctors glanced at each other, daring the other to make the first move. A raven haired man stepped forward.

"Why should we?"

The others remained silent, and the man continued.

"You expect us to help the military? After everything they did to us? You're even crazier than you look!"

"PLEASE!"

The man was surprised at the Colonels sudden outburst. For a soldier in his condition, he was sure persistent.

"Of course what we did was wrong! Unforgivable! But Edward had nothing to do with it! NOTHING!"

"Please... Just... Help him..."

At last the doctor took Edward in his arms, leaving a sobbing Colonel on his knees in the hallway. It was here he remained for what felt like hours, that was until he got to his feet.

He couldn't recall finding a phone, nor putting coins into the machine. His fingers dialled the familiar number he knew too well. It began to ring.

"Hawkeye here"

"Risa..."

"Roy! Did something happen? You never call unless-"

"He's hurt."

"You mean-"

"Ed. Yeah..."

"Is he ok?"

"We'll be delayed for a while, maybe a few weeks."

"Colonel? Wha-"

"Tell Alphonse."

He put the phone back on its hook. Dialling the number had been hard enough, let alone making conversation. He wasn't ready to talk, not yet.

He looked down at his clothes, or rather lack of them. His navy trousers had just survived, only scarred with a few rips here and there. The white shirt however, was a different story. It had been reduced to a mere few strips of bloody material. His hands felt cold from the lack of their usual gloves. He had been gutted when he discovered the broken transmutation circle. They could easily be fixed of course, some things however... couldn't.

"You can see him"

Roy looked over his shoulder to see a familiar looking doctor.

"Excuse me?"

"Your friend... you can see him, I'll show you the way"

As glad as he was, Roy wasn't sure he could face Ed in his current condition. Of course he had seen worse things, but this was different. A friend. More than a friend.

Dragging his boots down the hallway he almost walked into the doctor who had stopped without warning.

"In here" the man signalled with his hand.

"Thank you"

Roy reached out for the door handle with his shaky left hand. It clicked open. The sight before him was not a pleasant one.

The sleeping blonde alchemist was as white as his bed sheets. There were tubes coming from every angle, one disappeared down his nostrils, another led to a mask covering his mouth. Most of the blood was gone, leaving the remaining patches of crimson streaking his hair.

Roy almost turned toward the door he had just come from. Instead, he sat by Edward bedside and the tears began. A cold hand wiped away the tears.

"I'm s-sorry"

He looked up.

"I promised... y-you'd never cry a-again..."

**Thank you for more of your reviews : )**

**They made me smile, so thanks again! Please refrain from questioning the story if you can!! Questions will be answered in the next few chapters! Just be patient.**

**See you soon**


	17. Moments like this

**Me again!**

**Bet you're fed up of me by now, so I'll be quick.**

**Enjoy the chapter : )**

"Ed..."

"Y-yeah it's me, still h-here to make your life a m-misery" Ed hissed as his sides ached protestingly, he tried to adjust himself into a seating position. A hand pushed him back onto the mattress.

"No you don't! You stay right where you are! I don't want you bleeding all over these lovely clean sheets, not while I worked my ass off to get you here!"

The blonde turned his head towards the window and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like the word bastard. Roy couldn't help but smile. It looked like Ed was recovering nicely. In all truth, he felt like an idiot for letting his emotions get the better of him. If things couldn't get any worse, Ed had witness his small breakdown.

But he wouldn't tell anyone. They had a mutual understanding. Right?

The Colonel couldn't help but worry over the teen.

Should he be awake so soon? It was just this morning he'd almost bled to death in Roy's very arms, he had every reason to be worried.

"Roy?"

A voice distracted him from his thoughts. He looked up to see a pair of golden eyes staring back at him.

"Hm?"

"Thanks..." Ed proceeded to blush.

He'd never been good with words; he could only seem to express himself through shouting. That was how it worked in Ed's world. Being called a bastard was actually a real privilege. It meant you hd caught his attention long enough to get an attempt at conversation out of him.

Roy smiled and put a hand to his ear.

"Sorry shorty, I didn't quite catch that, what did you say?"

"THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LAME ASS." He was interrupted by a fit of coughing.

"Well lucky I thought you ass was worth rescuing"

"Who wouldn't want to save the FullMetal alchemist? I'm so damn awesome!"

"In your dreams Edward. You only wish you were as cool as me"

There was a growl.

"Now be a good boy and get some sleep while I get this arm in a cast. Hopefully."

Edward raised an eyebrow. He almost said something, but stopped. He knew better than to question the Colonel. Instead, he reached for his hand and gave it a weak squeeze.

Sometimes at moments like this, there was no need for words.

Roy was gone. Ed wasn't sure were, but that didn't matter. He was lonely. Silence occupied the room; only the buzzing and clicking of machines could be heard.

Ed couldn't sleep. Sure his body needed it, but with so much running through his head it was impossible. The stiff mattress wasn't helping either. His golden locks spilled over the pillows messily, making its length known. It rippled slightly after being released from its usual form. Other than his height, he seemed to get lots of comments about his hair. He could remember a conversation he'd had with Havoc a few months ago.

"_You know what they say about guys with long hair chief, wouldn't wanna give anyone the wrong idea now would ya?" He smirked as much as he could with a cigarette hanging from his lips._

If he could, Ed would have chuckled. He was always saying how much he hated going to work (when he wasn't bombarded with missions). It was people like Havoc that made life bearable. With Alphonse living in Risembool life could be dull. Without Jean cracking jokes like that, Ed was sure he would have resigned long ago. He made a mental note to thank the man someday.

Edward made every effort to block out the clicking of the machines. He closed his eyes.

Click.

He furrowed his eyebrows.

Click.

He almost covered his ears, but with only one hand available it really wasn't worth trying.

Click.

"Godamn machines..."

So where was Roy?

After pursuing the raven haired doctor, he managed to end up sitting next to a table occupied with plaster and bandages. The doctor wrapped his arm as they tried to make slight conversation, despite the awkwardness between them.

"How's Ed?"

"Fine..."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Confidential information, rights of the patient."

"He's my subordinate; surely you could make an exception?"

The doctor shook his head.

"Well earlier today it seemed like Ed wasn't like any of your normal patients, so how about you fill me in on the details doctor..."

The man sighed before proceeding.

"Very well. I'm not repeating this again so listen carefully. He's lost a lot of blood; it'll take a few days for his cells to catch up. Most people would have died, he's extremely lucky. As for the leg, we just about managed to salvage it. It'll be a few months before he can use it again; he'll need to come back now and again for a few skin grafts..."

"His arm?"

"He'll need new ports."

"Right... thank you..."

His arm was complete, and put into a sling. Roy looked at the hideous plaster, it made him cringe at the sight of it. The offending item seemed to stick out too much. Of course, there was nothing he could do...

**I'm quite pleased with the way this chapter turned out!**

**I was scared I would ruin it. Thanks for the reviews : )**

**See you next chapter.**


	18. Warmth

**Hello world, me again.**

**Thanks again for your kind comments :)**

**Enjoy!**

The piercing rays of the sun caused a sleeping blonde to stir, his eyes blinked in irritation. His fuzzy vision began to cease, and it was clear there was no way he could continue his slumber with such a powerful beam almost blinding him.

Ed wondered what time it was. He looked around for a clock, but it appeared there wasn't one. Helpful, very helpful. The sharp stinging in his throat reminded him it was time for a drink. Reaching the glass itself was harder than it should have been. Usually, it would be logical to prop himself up with one hand, and hold the glass with the other. But this proved to be difficult minus a limb.

Drinking lying down would only make him choke, and it appeared he'd been put in a bed without any fancy adjusting devices like the others.

He growled in frustration.

"Ok, this isn't working..."

He looked around for another option.

Of course! The nurses! That was their job wasn't it? Helping people? Looking through t the window to the empty corridor, Ed decided he would wait and call the next person that walked past his room. He waited, and waited, until it was clear no one was coming.

He glanced at the remote hooked on the back of the chair. A press of a button and a nurse would come. Hopefully. He looked from his hand, to the remote. It was clearly out of his reach.

Ed was beginning to get very irritated. It reminded him of the first time he'd been fitted with automail. It took months for him to adjust to his new limbs, and was forced to use a cane for support. Much like an invalid, as he was now.

After much thought, Edward decided he didn't care if he fell out of bed; it was worth the risk of injuring himself further for a glass of liquid. He stretched out his hand as far as he could, the muscles began to ache. The arm moved closer to the glass, fingers almost touching it.

"Just a little further..."

Before he could grasp the drink, someone else decided to take it for themselves. Ed looked from the offending hand to its owner.

"Need some help Ed?" The colonel, who currently occupied the chair beside the bed, was holding the glass high in the air.

"Hand it over."

"Now tell me, why should I do that?"

"Cause I'm thirsty, now gimmie!" The blonde tried reaching again, inevitably failing.

"Well, I'm quite parched myself..."

"Hand it over bastard!"

The glass was pressed into Ed's hand, the tips of their fingers brushed together as Roy let go of the cup.

The blonde could feel the warmth in his face dramatically increase, and was determined to conceal this from the raven haired man next to him. Otherwise, he was sure he wouldn't hear the end of this. Taking a swig of the water, he placed it back on the table before lowering his head.

"Ed?"

"Thanks..."

"Ed, I can't hear you..."

The Colonel caught Ed's chin with his fingers and raised his head. He was greeted with a blushing blonde who looked like he was ready for the ground the swallow him up. Edward however, began to fidget like a child, trying to escape from Roy's grip.

"I said thanks..."

He let go of Ed and the blonde sunk back into his pillows. This was followed by a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Did you mean it?"

The Elric looked up.

"Hm?"

"Back then, you said you liked me, did you mean it?"

"I..." the blonde resumed blushing once more and was aware of being pulled into a soft hug. His head resting on a muscular chest, and a casted hand awkwardly wrapped around his waist.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked, not now. Take as long as you need..."

The Elric nodded into Roy's chest, and raised his head, golden orbs focused on the Colonel.

"I do..."

Roy threaded his fingers through the loose strands of thick, golden hair.

"Thank you"

"You're not angry?"

"Should I be?"

"But... you hate me! And I'm a guy..."

"Edward Elric, I have never hated you, quite the opposite in fact, it's you I like. The FullMetal alchemist, a man."

"I..."

A finger shushed him, and Roy tightened the embrace, being aware of any tubes or stitches. He placed a soft kiss on the mop of gold, and smiled, feeling the warm rays of the sun gaze down upon them.

**Apologies for the short length, and sorry if you found it a bit sappy!**

**It was a bit of filler I suppose, but a good one I hope!**

**See you next chapter : )**


	19. Like a sponge

**Hello folks :)**

**Hopefully this chap will be a bit longer so make yourself comfy!**

**Enjoy!**

"Roy..."

Roy looked down at the teen and signalled for him to continue.

"Does this mean...we're...I mean...If you want to...Um..What I meant was..."

The Colonel smiled and leaned closer, his lips hovered over Ed's ear teasingly.

"Well if your offering, how could I refuse?"

He released his grip on the younger man and leaned in for a quick kiss, which lasted for a brief second (much to Ed's displeasure). The Colonel lay Ed back on the mattress carefully and returned to his seat. The next few minutes between them were awkward. Both remained silent, in deep thought, until a familiar doctor came through the door. A clipboard in his hand and a sophisticated pair of slim glasses perched on his nose.

Roy stood up.

Ed was hoping whatever papers the man was holding would be a release form. He didn't get his hopes up, after making a quick evaluation of his condition, he decided it would be a few more days until he was released.

Although bed rest was boring, Edward was glad he didn't have to venture outside anytime soon. The snow had gone, but replaced with a lovely sheet of ice, and the wind howled maliciously. Perhaps hospitals weren't so bad after all.

"How is he?"

The doctor turned to Roy before pushing up his glasses and looking back down to the clipboard.

"He seems to be coping better than we expected, he's extremely lucky to be here"

Ed shifted nervously; the doctor soon picked up on his eagerness and continued with a brighter tone.

"However, if we can remove the tubes successfully this afternoon, I would say tomorrow was can release you Mr Elric"

The blonde couldn't help but grin over the pain. Looks like he would be facing the bad conditions outside sooner than he expected. It was clear he was still pretty beat up, perhaps these people were trying to get rid of him? Not that he minded.

"Of course you'll need to check in for a few operations no doubt"

Ed's face soon fell.

"Nothing serious, just removing your stitches and a few skin grafts on your leg"

A groan emitted from the young alchemist, he wasn't looking forward to these little 'visits'. He hated hospitals! Ever since the death of his beloved mother Trisha, Edward strongly disliked everything related to sickness and death. Perhaps it was his tragic past that made him loose faith in the medical profession. His brush with death had helped largely with his fear of dying.

It taught Ed never to mess with Mother Nature anymore; it only caused loss and pain. He rarely used alchemy anymore, only when he felt the need to. Other people like Roy Mustang used alchemy as a tool to impress and cut corners to reach their goals, much like he used to. Until he realised the seriousness of messing with thing he didn't understand. His strong opinion on the subject had been the cause of many great arguments.

_Once again, Edward Elric had been summoned to the Colonels office. The blonde began to pace outside, deep in thought. Pushing all thoughts aside, he found enough courage to place a soft knock of the door. The sight of the gold nameplate nailed to the wood made his teeth grind._

'_Colonel Roy Mustang'_

_The rank always seemed to mock him. Ed believed Mustang off all people didn't deserve his position. There were many people like himself who worked off their asses to get the recognition they deserved, yet they were treated like dogs._

"_Come in"_

_The blonde forced himself through the door, making sure it slammed nicely behind him. Without a second thought, Ed perched himself on the leather sofa and made sure he was rather comfortable. He had a feeling he wouldn't be leaving this dumb anytime soon. He was surely in for another lecture. Judging by Roy's expression, he sure wasn't getting a promotion today._

"_Can I help you Colonel?"_

"_Actually FullMetal, I was going to ask for your help"_

_The teen raised an eyebrow questioningly and Roy continued._

"_It's about your recent trip to Liore"_

"_What about it?"_

"_I was wondering why it took you so long to capture a minor criminal, especially with a record like yours. The report you gave me covered not nearly enough detail about what happened."_

"_What do you mean a record like mine?!"_

"_We both know what you're capable of, so please enlighten me to why you were gone for over a month, and why I had to pay several repair bills because of your clumsiness!"_

"_I didn't break anything!"_

"_Sure you didn't"_

_Ed could feel the sarcasm dripping from his voice like venom. It was hard to face these word from the man he respected so dearly. _

"_Just listen to me!"_

"_How many times? How many times am I going to have to listen to these excuses of yours! If you can't do simple missions like this, I would strongly recommend you let someone more capable do your job for you!"_

_Roy couldn't believe what he was doing. He knew he had a viscous temper that often got out of hand, but felt he had over stepped the mark and gone too damn far this time. Of course he knew it wasn't entirely Ed's fault, the boy was prone to attracting unwanted attention. But what kind of a fool would he look like if he apologised?_

"_Well I am sorry for trying to follow __your__ orders and getting into a few scrapes! Maybe next time I should lose another leg and use alc-"_

"_Are you telling me you didn't use alchemy?"_

"_What if I didn't? There was no need to! I'm not making any more mistakes because I clapped my hands and fucked up!"_

"_You're a state alchemist! Are you telling me I'm paying for your mistakes because you were scared?"_

"_SHUT UP!"_

_Edward slammed his hands on the desk, making Roy jump slightly. God only knows what people outside were thinking._

"_You know nothing of fear so don't make me sound like a complete coward! I fixed my mistakes and I'm paying for it! Alchemy isn't just some magic trick to impress the ladies! Maybe a trip to the gate would wipe that smug grin of your face!"_

_Ed mentally slapped himself. He had a feeling his most recent outburst wasn't going to do him any favours. He took the silence as a que to leave. And so, Edward made the slow walk back to his empty apartment._

The doctor was ready to remove the last tube, which happened to be the breathing tube running down his throat.

"Ready?"

"Just get it over with"

Roy took this opportunity to wait patiently outside. Ed felt a small scratch as the tube slide out of his throat, making him cough. The doctor bandaged him up and left the teen to recover in peace.

"How are you feeling?"

"Great, absolutely marvellous. I've got so many holes I'm like a fucking sponge"

"Language Edward, if you continue swearing like that I might just have to punish you" Roy mocked suggestively.

"Promises promises"

The Colonel left Ed to rest for the night; he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow. He kissed the teen softy on the forehead and rose to his feet.

"Night Ed"

"Where are you going?"

"To make a phone call"

**I hope that was long enough, See you next chapter : )**


	20. Lonley

**20 already?**

**Time sure flies by!**

**Enjoy :)**

"Hello?"

"Hawkeye?"

"Ro- Colonel! How are you? Hows-"

"Hawkeye."

Risa coughed, and composed herself. She knew what that stern tone meant. A polite way of saying "Shut up Risa".

"Sorry sir, is there something you wanted?"

"I need that Rockbell's number, could you find it for me?"

"Yes sir! I'll be right with you"

There was a small thud as Risa lay the phone on the table. After hearing the door close, Roy let out the sigh he'd been holding back. He was surprised the Lieutenant was still in her office so late in the evening.

Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Hanging up seemed like a comfortable option. What if Ed got mad for contacting his mechanic behind his back?

Roy groaned, rubbing the temples of his forehead. He was far too old to be stressing out over small things like this. He was expecting a grey hair any day now. The colonel twirled the phone wire through his fingers; he was back at the hotel. It was nice to make a call without the noise of a busy reception distracting him.

"Colonel? Are you there?"

"Very much so"

"Ready?"

"One second" Roy fumbled through the bedside draw for some paper, at last he found some hiding beneath the many adverts and menus littering the bottom.

"Ready"

As Risa gave him the figures, he hesitantly copied the numbers and repeated it back to her. The glow of the moon escaping through the curtains reminded Roy it was getting late.

"Thank you Lieutenant, Goodnight"

"Goodnight sir"

Just as he was going to pull the receiver from his ear-

"Sir?"

"Hm?"

"Stay safe"

On that final note, Risa was gone. With a click, the phone was back on its hook. Roy stifled a yawn. Turning on his side, the empty bed next to him triggered a thought.

He wondered what Ed was thinking right now. Of course, he knew he was being stupid. The teen was obviously asleep at this hour, like everyone else.

The colonel turned out the light and waited for sleep to take him. He waited and waited. But the light of the moon decided it would keep him awake for just a little longer.

Ed's gaze was captured by the night sky. It was those beautiful stars piercing the lilac clouds that always managed to pull him in. It was always stable. Whenever he was being carted off on mission, the one thing he could rely on to stay the same was the sky.

It was nice to contemplate the day's events in peace. Most of the nurses had gone, and the corridors remained peaceful. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional click of a door, a passing nurse on night watch. It should have irritated him, but didn't.

The door was in desperate need of oiling. The noise grinded through his ear drums. But Edwards mind, was elsewhere. He was too distracted by the thoughts rolling through his head. He couldn't help but frown. Once again he'd landed himself in hospital, a place he'd seen many times in his life. His automail was gone, but that great weight was replaced with heaviness in his chest.

'What am I doing...'

He was sick of feeling like this. Shouldn't he be happy? He had the best looking man on earth wrapped around his little finger, he was still alive, and had finally faced his demented half brother. So why did he feel so down? What was this feeling?

Pulling the thin covers tightly around his small frame like a cocoon only made his heart drop further. He knew this feeling. The fear of being alone, the emptiness in his stomach, the cold air surrounding him.

Loneliness.

'This is stupid!'

He cursed his emotions for keeping him awake at god knows what hour in the morning. Since Edward made his first trip to the world beyond the gate he struggled with sleep. It was fear that kept him awake in the strange city. He feared he would never come back. Sure he had Alophons to keep him company, but it would never be the same. It was nights like this he truly grew tired of his hectic life.

We wondered if it was time to give in his pocket watch and retire to a peaceful life in the country, were he could grow old in peace. The truth was, he couldn't. No matter how badly he screwed up or frustrated he was, nothing could make him leave the military.

This life he hated so much, he had grown to love. Much like his beloved Colonel.

There had been many times he'd found himself wanting to punch that 'Bastard' in the face, but truthfully, he would never get tired of his company, no matter how irritating it was.

Ed's eyelids began to feel heavy, pulling him into sleep. The last thing he saw was the moon, glowing brightly in all its glory. It was then the blonde alchemist wished, that one day, his could be just as bright.

**Sorry for the wait, I had an eventful weekend.**

**Apologies if it was a little short,**

**See you next chapter : )**


	21. Help

**Sorry about the filler last chapter,**

**My righting wasn't very productive that week,**

**I thought it would be disgraceful if I didn't post anything, ANYWAY enough of me,**

**Enjoy : )**

"What?"

Roy continued to stare.

"Quit staring at me like that! It's creepy!"

The colonel smiled softly before leaning forward in his chair, head resting in his hands, propped up on his lap.

"I'm sorry Edward, I was just admiring the view" he smirked, knowing the blonde wouldn't like this at all.

"Don't say things like that! Erghh! Its people like you my mother told me to stay away from!"

"Oh?"

Roy left his seat and decided to perch on the edge of the stiff mattress. Ed was trying to shift away, but the white sheets only tangled, making it difficult to move. Roy peeled the sheets from the young teen, who was desperately trying to hide the increasing colour in his cheeks.

"What are you doing?! Get off me you creep!"

Roy lowered his head dangerously close to Ed's, their lips almost touching.

"Wanna see what else this creep can do?"

After a nervous pause from Ed, the colonel sprang back into his chair, just as the doctor decided to make an appearance. The sudden shift in weight on one side of the mattress made Ed flail his arms slightly. The doctor looked at his patient for a moment, deciding if it was too soon to release him. The man tapped his pen lightly on the clipboard present in his hand.

The blonde soon wished he wasn't so jumpy. If he continued acting like this his chances of being released were dramatically declining.

'Great, now he thinks I've got a screw loose! Argh!'

The teen muttered under his breath, a little louder than he intended to. The doctor raised an eyebrow questioningly before pacing over to the bed, stopping when he was level with Roy.

"Mr Elric, before I can release you I'll need to do a brief check up, just making sure we didn't miss anything"

Ed groaned, and slouched against the headboard, making sure Roy saw him exchange a glare. He made a mental note to punish him for making him look like a total nutcase. The colonel couldn't help but display his trademark smirk. It was fun to tease the hot headed teen, he was always keen to see the next amusing reaction.

"I'll need you to sit on the edge of the bed for me"

Edward looked blankly at the man, wondering if he was completely oblivious to his current condition. After waiting a moment for help, which wasn't offered to him, Ed proceeded to unwrap himself from the sheets. At least he tried to.

Many frustrating attempts later, the blonde was exhausted. He hack handedly tried to prop himself up, only to find his arm buckle under the weight. The doctor could see this was going nowhere, and helped the teen sit up.

The man reached into his pocket, retrieving a short rod, and proceeded to poke Ed's limbs, much to the blondes displeasure.

"Hey! Watch where you put that thin- OW!"

Roy found the situation rather amusing, it was clear Ed hated being treated like some sort of experiment.

"What are you smiling at you goddamn- OWW!"

"Your stitched will be sore for a few weeks, try not to touch them"

"Maybe they wouldn't hurt so much if you stopped- OW!"

He doctor prodded the teen once more, and dropped the clipboard into his lap. As Ed's eyes scanned the pages he smiled.

"Finally!" he picked up the pen, but paused when he reached the dotted line. Roy spoke up.

"What's wrong Ed? Not getting attached to this place are you?"

"I'm right handed."

"So- Ah." The colonel looked at the stump that should have been occupied with an arm.

"As long as it's legible it shouldn't matter"

Ed looked up at the doctor, and back to the clipboard. They couldn't wait to get rid of him. He wasn't sure how to hold the pen. After a few minuites of adjusting it in his fingers, he managed to scribble a messy 'Edward Elric'.

"Your writing's very expressive today..."

Ed glared at Roy.

"You ever tried using your left hand?!"

"I'm ambidextrous"

"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that"

Roy smirked.

"Mind you, your handwritings always been lousy"

"Have you tried to hold a pen with metal fingers?"

The raven haired doctor coughed, interrupting both men. He held out a brown paper bag to Roy, who took it, curious of the contents.

"Your medication Mr Elric"

"Thanks..."

For a brief moment the man left the room, only to return with an old looking wheelchair.

"Just remember, don't strain yourself, you don't want to open any stitches"

On that final note he left, leaving an egar Ed to see himself out. Ed looked at the chair, and then to Roy, hoping the man would take the hint and help him out. Not that he wanted help of course...

After a moment, it was clear Ed would have to do this himself. But how? Getting into the chair could cause two things, it could roll away, or he could lose his footing and land in a heap on the floor.

The blonde leaned over to the chair, and was about to make his best effort to hobble across the floor, until a pair of hands seized him by the shoulders.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting in the chair"

"You heard what he said, no straining yourself. You could have asked for some help"

"Yeah? Well I didn't see you offering!"

Roy exhaled, and in a swift but gentle movement, he took Ed into his arms and placed him gently into the chair.

"There, you see? That wasn't so bad was it?"

"Uh.. Roy?"

"Hm?"

"I need to change"

Roy took the hint and waited outside for the blonde to summon him back in. He waited, and waited.

"Ed?"

"What?!" a frustrated sounding cry replied.

"Need any help?"

"From you? I don't think so!"

He couldn't help but smile. The teen was always stubborn when it came to accepting help from other people. Perhaps it was because he didn't like others fussing over him.

"Ed?"

"What?!"

"Are you ok in there?"

"I'm fine! I just-"

His voice trailed off when he saw Roy standing in the doorway. The man couldn't help but laugh. He was greeted with the sight of Ed trying to pull on a black shirt that was caught behind his head. The teen's muscular chest was in perfect view, including his large scars, where automail had been previously bolted to his shoulder.

The blonde blushed, keeping his head low. He was rather touchy when it came to his scars, he considered them ugly. Ed had never cared about his image until he got automail. It was a permanent reminder of his mistake.

Roy could see it was bothering him. Personally, he found every inch of Edward highly attractive. Scars just made him more unique.

The colonel kneeled in front of Ed and pulled the shirt over his head. Before he reached his chest, he brushed his fingertips over the scarred lines, and traced them softly, earning an uncomfortable squirm from the Elric.

"Ed"

The blond stopped and looked down at Roy shyly, a blush tinting his cheeks.

"Go ahead, say it"

"What do you-"

"Say it! Tell me how stupid I was! Tell me how hideous I am! Just-"

Before he could continue, Roy stole a kiss from the teen, effectively silencing him.

"Ed, I think your beautiful with or without a stupid scar" he said honestly.

"Your just saying that"

"Oh really?" he smiled.

"I told you! You don't have to lie, I can take it..."

The colonel leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on the scarred flesh.

"Am I still lying now?"

A red Edward could only stutter with embarrassment.

"Come on Ed; let's get you out of here"

**I hope that was ok!**

**Thank you for correcting my awful spelling, I spelt Riza wrong, sorry!**

**I'm atrocious with names. See you next chapter : )**


	22. Carry Me

**Hello dear readers :)**

**I'd like to thank you for sticking with this story; I couldn't do it without you!**

**Enjoy!**

"Jesus its cold!"

Ed hugged his torso, hoping to gain some warmth to his numb, shivering arms. After the doctors had kindly shredded his clothes in the process of treating him, Edward had been given a flimsy black shirt, which was supposed to protect him from the viscous sting of the wind. It tousled his hair in different directions, kindly obstructing his vision.

The blonde felt a jacket slip around his shoulders, a familiar blue one at that. He was going to give his thanks to the colonel; instead, he pulled the jacket around his frame as tightly as he could to show his appreciation.

The ground was still slightly icy, and a few clumps of snow remained perched on the rooftops. The scenery, (if you could call it that) appeared to drift by slowly. Every detail absorbed by those gold glassy eyes. The wind whipped at his face again. Ed wondered if the man pushing him had been affected by the careless blasts of cold air. He could have drooled, thanks to his wild imagination. He pictured Roy with his raven hair tousled in different directions, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a few buttons missing on his shirt, revealing a perfectly toned chest.

A harsh jolt brought him back to reality. Tilting his head backward, Ed glared daggers at the man behind him.

"Stone"

"Like hell it was! You- HEY!

"What a coincidence, there goes another one..."

Much to the teens disappointment, Roy's fine chest was strictly concealed, shirt buttoned to the very top. He could have sighed, although the colonels black locks were looking rather expressive.

"Jeez Ed, I know I'm irresistible, but can't you wait until we get back to the hotel?"

"Don't flatter yourself" Another jolt.

"Stone"

"Asshole"

There was a short silence.

"You were staring"

"Was not"

"Was too"

Ed growled, it wasn't worth the effort trying to win this one. Luck hadn't exactly been on his side lately. It was very quiet for most of the trip, a little too quiet in Ed's opinion. The blonde had been busily day dreaming, unaware they had reached their destination.

The door opened, causing the bell to ring noisily. Both men retreated back to their rooms quickly, or would have done so, if there hadn't been a small problem delaying them.

Roy paused as he reached the large looking flight of stairs. He looked from the first step, to the wheelchair. Clearly, this wasn't going to work. The colonel thought carefully, and decided that his next actions were going to end badly.

He moved the chair back slightly, letting go of the handles, he stood in front of a bewildered looking Ed, who could see what was coming.

"Don't even think about it! Don't you- HEY!"

Roy easily lifted Edward into his arms, ignoring the protests emitting from the blonde, he began a slow walk to the second floor, careful not to trip in the commotion.

"I said put me down dammit!"

"Quit making a scene"

"Put me down!!"

"How else are you going to get up here? Or do you plan on sleeping in the lobby tonight?"

"I'll crawl! Anything! Just-"

"Enough"

Ed finally silenced, falling back into the colonels chest with exhaustion. They reached the room, Ed balled his fists into Roy's shirt as he was gently lowered onto the bed, wincing slightly.

"Ed?"

The blonde glared in response, before holding his back, trying to conceal the pain as best he could. Roy however, clearly wasn't buying it.

"Do you need a painkiller or something?"

The teen stubbornly shook his head, proceeding to roll onto his left side and bury his head in the pillow. The sheets felt cold from his absence, and how he'd missed sleeping on a comfortable mattress. Roy was in the bathroom, smoothing out his wind struck hair, much to Ed's protest. When he returned, the blonde was snoring softly.

Later that evening, Edward found himself trying to change into some night clothes. After struggling with the trousers, he took one look at the shirt and tossed it to one side. No way was he having a repeat of this morning.

The colonel was busy reading a book in his own bed, looking up from his page every now and then.

Ed reached behind his head, and pulled the elastic from his hair, releasing his long golden locks. It fell limply to his shoulders, curled slightly from its constant form. Placing the band on the bedside table, he paused when he saw a slip of paper.

"Roy?"

"Hm?" the colonel looked up from his book.

"How did you get Winry's number?"

"How did you get so small?"

The blonde glared.

"Ok ok, I asked Hawkeye"

"But-"

"Look Ed, as nice as it would be, I'm not carrying you for the rest of your life, as soon as your up to it, were going to Rizenbul"

"We?"

"It's my job to save you from your own stupidity"

"Since when was it your 'job' to stalk me?"

"Since that night in the warehouse"

Edward couldn't find the words to respond. Instead, his glassy eyes met Roy's, and he smiled. Such a motion had been reserved for the colonel only. Ed leaned back onto his pillows, wincing as his stitches gave a small tug.

It was slightly cold, but not enough to convince him to put on a shirt. The blonde took another glance at the colonel before closing his protesting eyes.

Not long after Edward had drifted into a peaceful slumber, Roy placed his book back onto the table. Looking to the sleeping golden eyed beauty in the bed next to him, Roy turned out the lamp and kneeled beside him. His head level with Ed's, he felt he should sleep himself, but couldn't resist absorbing the sight a little while longer.

Golden lock spilled over the pillow, the sleeping figure moved, burying his face deeper into the warmth of the covers. Roy smiled and gently ran a few strands of blonde through his fingers.

'So many women would kill for hair like this...'

The colonel released the strands from his grip and leaned forward, placing a small kiss onto Ed's forehead, who's lashes fluttered slightly. He stirred, but soon drifted back into a peaceful slumber.

Cold. It was so very cold.

Edward pulled the thin sheets around his torso as tightly as he could. He shivered violently, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Craning his neck, he tried to locate the source of his discomfort, only to find the windows and doors firmly closed.

"D-Damit!"

Roy began to stir; Ed could see he was close to waking him.

'Crap.'

"Ed?"

The blonde turned, to see the sheets gathered around Roy's waist, revealing a pale, well toned chest. His hair messed from sleep. He rubbed his onyx eyes and looked over to Ed. The teen didn't look so well.

"Ed?"

"S-Sorry, I d-didnt mean to wake y-you..."

Ed closed his eyes. He heard a few dull thuds across the carpet, and the mattress dipped slightly. A pair of strong arms circled his waist, and the person rested their chin on his shoulder, inhaling the scent on his hair.

"R-Roy?"

"Shh, I'll try not to hurt you, just go back to sleep"

***Sweatdrops***

**I hope that was ok, I kind of liked this one.**

**Thanks again for your reviews and subscriptions, see you next chapter :)**


	23. Mid life crisis

**Glad to know you liked the last chapter :)**

**I hope you like this one just as much, enjoy!**

As Ed stirred awake, he cursed the sun for waking him. It always managed to deprive him of sleep when he needed it most. Rubbing his eyes, he proceeded to stretch, only to find a pair of arms encircling his waist, restricting his from doing so. Ed groaned, and lazily collapsed back into Roy's chest. Too bad if he was awake, he didn't plan on moving anytime soon.

As Roy began to wake, he felt the blonde nuzzling into his chest for warmth. He rested his chin on the teens shoulder, ruffling his hair.

After sleeping in for a little longer, Edward was rudely awaken by a cold breeze against his cheek. It stopped, and he sighed, moulding back into the covers. Just as he closed his eyes, he felt it again. A puff of cool air. Craning his neck, he soon found the source of his discomfort. Roy's face was buried in the long golden strands of hair cascading from the blondes head; he tried moving the strands aside, only to find they fell back over his face.

Ed laughed, stifling a yawn. Roy ran his fingers through the teens golden locks.

"You have so much dam hair..."

"So?-yawn-"

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"No"

"Well its bothering me, I can't sleep"

He tucked the strand of hair behind Edward's ear, and pretended he was shaving it all off, making buzzing noises as his fingers moved over his scalp. The blonde took one look at the man and declared the man was insane. He rolled over to face Roy, trying to grab his wrists with a single hand.

"What the hell are you doing! I'm injured you know!"

The colonel replied by continuing with his unusual behaviour, while Ed grabbed his wrist and held it tightly.

"Wait. You're not having a mid life crisis are you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Mid life? How dare you! I'm not that old! There's still a bit more mileage left in the old dog yet"

"I'm only telling the truth! How could anyone not notice those greys coming through?"

Roy wrestled with Ed, only to find himself laying flat on his back, both hands pinned above his head.

"How the-"

"No need to congratulate me old man, I know I'm amazing!"

"Old man?"

"You said it"

"Oh really? Can an old man do this?"

Roy escaped from Ed's grip, and pinned the blonde to the bed, rewarding him with a kiss.

"Ok-point-proven" the teen wheezed between breaths. The colonel swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"Playtimes over Shorty, wouldn't want to open any stitches now would we?"

Just as Ed was drifting back to sleep, the covers were pulled back sharply, leaving him to curl into a ball and shiver from the sudden change in temperature. He opened an eye, looked at Roy, and pulled the covers back up to his chin. The sheets were only pulled away again.

"What the hell are you doing?! Its cold you know!"

"Ed, it's almost lunch time, I can't leave you rotting in bed all day"

"Why not? I'm not hurting anyone!"

Roy's reply was throwing a warm towel at the teen, landing in his lap. Pointing to the bathroom,

"Stop complaining and go make yourself look pretty"

Edward looked to the bathroom, and swore if the journey didn't kill him, he'd make sure Roy was drinking through a straw for a month.

"Cmon Ed the showers getting lonely"

"Yeah yeah, I can take a hint" he mumbled, reaching for his cane. After a long hobble to the bathroom, he perched on the edge of the tub and threw the cane at the wall in frustration. Sure it stopped him from falling flat on his face, but it made his muscles ache terribly. The wood was a chestnut colour, much like the one he used after being fitted with automail for the first time. It reminded him how much of an invalid he was.

Ed was soon in the shower, after trying to balance awkwardly on one leg, the water cascaded from the showerhead. Well, a few drops anyway. He was glad in a way; he could picture being blasted backwards by a strong blast of water.

The sight before him wasn't pretty. Without the protection of bandages, Ed could see each stitch and bruise that graced his chest, every new scar decorating his body. The bottom rib jutted out more than the others, swollen and bruised heavily. The worst of all was his leg. He could clearly see were the skin had been pulled over the damage, an ugly ladder of stitches making a long pathway up to his thigh. Of course he'd been beat up before, but never as bad as this.

Splashing the icy water over his face, Edward hoped dearly that most of the damage wasn't permanent. After rinsing his hair, Ed resumed his position on the edge of the bath tub, a towel draped over his shoulders. The thought of having to change all over again, made him groan. Perhaps he was going to see Winry a little sooner than planned. The trousers were not a problem, that he could manage. But hobbling around shirtless wouldn't do him any favours.

Roy shifted in the armchair, craning his neck to the bathroom door. Running a hand through his black locks, he wondered how long it had been since the blonde hobbled into the bathroom. He felt a twinge of guilt for not helping, but knew his help would have been rejected anyway. Sighing, he heaved himself from the chair and tapped on the door.

"Ed?"

"What?!"

"Need any help in there?"

"Course not!" he laughed nervously, "What gives you that idea?"

"You've been in there for almost two hours"

"Have you tried taking a shower with two limbs?"

There was a short silence.

"No? I didn't think so-"

The bandage half wrapped around his chest fell through his fingers. Ed looked up to find an open door, and Roy kneeling in front of him. The colonel's warm hands took the fabrics from his hand, and he gently wrapped the violent looking bruises. Ed's head lowered with embarrassment.

"Is this what you've been doing all this time?"

The blonde nodded.

"I'm here to help you know"

"But-"

"No buts Ed, I'm here if you need me, I mean it"

"I'm so dam useless! I can't even dress myself! It's like I'm a kid all over again!"

Roy stopped himself as he was going to speak.

"Make a crack about my height and you'll be limping back to central"

Ed growled, attempting to hide the colour in his cheeks. The colonel finished changing his dressings, and gathered a protesting blonde in his arms.

**Hope that was ok :)**

**See you next chapter!**


	24. Ripped Apart

**Hey guys :)**

**Wow, almost up to 25 huh?**

**Thanks for sticking with me, and enjoy the chapter!**

"ROY!"

Sunlight came flooding into the room, making a particular blonde alchemist attempt to shield his eyes with his remaining hand. The colonel had rudely awakened the teen, almost blinding him with daylight. Edward's tattered suitcase landed with a thud at the foot of the bed.

Admittedly, the case had seen better days. The brown leather was worn in the corners, and the colour had gradually faded over the years. Despite its 'beautiful' appearance, Ed couldn't part with it. It was one of the remaining items that had made it out of the Elric household without being scorched. Ed rubbed his eyes and sat forward, and began rummaging through his belongings. Pulling his hand from the few possessions, he spotted something. A photograph.

It was slightly torn at the edges, the paper discoloured a little yellow, but Ed could still remember the same day it was taken, as if it were yesterday.

"_We did it Edward! We finally did it!"_

_The crowd gathered amongst their latest creation, absorbing every last detail, from the racing red paintwork, to the cogs and screw disappearing behind the small metal hatch. It was a rocket, one of the first of its kind._

_Ed smiled; it was wonderful to see Alfons so happy! After all of his commitment to the project, he truly deserved it. It took many months of careful research and calculations, and many sleepless nights spent in the library. Ed had to admit, in Amestris, they probably had hundred of the things kept in storage. He could probably build one in five minutes if he wanted to, but he knew best not to interfere too much with the world he was still unfamiliar with._

_Before them, stood a colossus camera towering over them, a man eager to take a picture._

"_Come on Edward, they say our picture will be in the newspaper!"_

"_Al!" he laughed, as he was pulled in front of the lense, by an arm around his shoulder._

_FLASH_

He missed Alfons, he really did. Ed often wondered how he was doing, what he was thinking...

"Mind if I take a look?"

The blonde hugged the photograph to his chest protectively. He wasn't so sure sharing it was such a good idea.

"I...I'd rather you didn't..."

"C'mon Ed, it's just a picture!"

Roy's smiled dropped when he realised Ed wasn't smiling at all.

"I've never showed anyone before..."

The delicate paper was placed into the Colonels hands, Roy's eyes scanned the image, again and again. It took time for his brain to process what he was seeing. It was nothing like any picture he'd seen before. It looked so.... old. Both blondes had an arm draped over the others shoulder, a large crowd gathered behind them. The crowd had their backs to the camera, they appeared to be gawking at something, and by the look of things, this something was quite interesting.

Ed was in white button up shirt, a brown waist coat and trousers with a long matching coat, much like the red one he was often seen in as a kid. Roy wondered if it had the same markings on the back. His hair was pulled up into a dignified ponytail, a striking resemblance of his father. The other blonde, had short chiselled hair just covering his cheekbones and neatly combed into a parting. He wore the same shirt as Edward, but had green braces over his shoulders.

Roy had so many questions, but knew Ed wasn't in the mood to elaborate much.

"You look happy"

"I was, but- looking at him only reminded me of Al, he was so much like him you know? Cared about everyone, was always looking on the bright side of everything. We worked together, like me and Al, it was just like the old days..." His voice trailed off.

"Umm.. Whys it not in colour?"

"They didn't have fancy cameras like us, it was like going back in time, and everything was behind in technology"

"Wait." Something in Roy's head clicked. "Was this-"

"The other side of the gate, yeah. Just before-" Ed lowered his head and mumbled, "the war."

The colonel put the picture into Ed's hand, holding it briefly as he spoke to the blonde. He sympathised with the teen. He knew just how scary war was. He knew how scary it was to be sent the front line, and forced to kill in exchange for his own life.

"Its ok, you don't have to go into details, I'm sure you were great friends with..."

"Alfons. His name was Alfons..."

Edward put the picture into his wallet, pissed he hadn't taken better care of it. The Colonel could see the blonde was absorbed in his thoughts. He took this opportunity to leave him to change in peace, and went in search of his clothes...

As the train began to slide out of the station, Ed combed his fingers through his hair.

"Today of all days!" he huffed.

"Something wrong Ed?" Roy grinned knowing full well what he had just let himself in for.

"Yeah! You picked a real good day for a family reunion! It's raining, I lost ANOTHER hair tie, and thanks to SOMEONE almost knocking me out with a suitcase this morning, I have a headache! Did I mention the squeaky wheel?!"

Roy sunk back into his seat, turning his gaze to the window, watching droplets of rain slide down the misty glass.

"My sincerest apologies for having no control over the weather Ed"

The blonde growled and glared his trademark stare, flicking his irritating hair aside and it feel in front of his eyes.

"Don't give me that look! You look much nicer with your hair down anyway, and I don't see why you're so worried about seeing your mechanic, Al will be happy to see you."

"There's nothing better than getting your nerves prodded and ripped apart! I can't believe I was being so negative about it before!"

"Does it... hurt?" Roy could have smacked his head in stupidity, of course it hurt! So why was he asking? To make conversation?

"You know what? How about I squeeze your hand in surgery! Then you can see for yourself how much pain I'm in!"

Roy slouched in his seat, feel rather stupid. There was a long silence.

"It's not all bad you know"

"Oh really? Would you care to enlighten me as to why I should be so dam excited about this trip?!"

"It's been a while since you saw Winry and your brother right?"

Edward nodded.

"Yeah but-" he paused before continuing. "They must think I'm a total looser"

"Whys that Ed? You're far from looser status! In fact, you're a well known hero; there are many people who admire you! You're the youngest alchemist the states ever had, you survived human transmutation and you're the best man on my team, other than me of course...."

Ed smiled.

"That sounds like the bastard I know" He pulled off the glove over his hand using his teeth, dropping the fabric in his lap.

"What do they think of me? The only time I see them is when I need fixing, I can't last five minutes without breaking something"

"No one's perfect Ed, were only human, and we all make mistakes"

"I'm hardly human Roy; half of me's missing..."

The Colonel tilted Ed's chin with a gloved hand, making his their gazes meet. He leaned closer; making sure the blonde was listening.

"Human or not Ed, I wouldn't change you for the world, I'm sure Al would say the same." He pushed Ed's shoulders back, making him lean back in the chair.

"Sleep"

"But-" Edward was silenced with a kiss.

"You idiot! What if someone's watching! Were on a god damn trai-"

Pushing all worried thoughts aside, Ed decided he didn't have the patience or energy to fight with the Colonel any longer, and leaned into another kiss. Roy sat up, only to find a blonde grabbing his collar and yanking him back down again.

He hovered his lips over the teen's ear, the warmth of his breath making him shiver.

"Lucky for us the others are asleep..." He sat back in his chair, making Ed look up.

"But, sleep is a good idea; I suggest you get some shut eye FullMetal, that's an order."

Edward muttered at the use of his title, and leaned against the cool glass, facing Roy. The pane began to mist as he breathed silently...

**Hope that was ok :)**

**Sorry about the wait, but I hope you liked it.**

**See you next chapter!**


	25. Fixing You

**Hello world!**

**I would like to use this space to defend my spelling of 'Alfons'**

**A lot of people have been sending me messages telling me its spelt 'Alphonse'. In the last chapter I was talking about Alfons Heiderich, not Alphonse Elric. They are two different characters, and their names are spelt differently. Sorry for the long moan.**

**Enjoy the chapter : )**

"EDWARD!!"

Ed craned his neck to look at Roy pleadingly.

"Is it too late to turn back?"

"You bet it is"

The blonde sunk back into his chair in defeat, bracing himself to face the unpleasant wrath of Winry.

Alphonse grimaced, hearing the blonde mutter angrily under her breath. He hoped she wouldn't give Ed a hard time, by the look of things; Ed was in need of new automail. It meant he would have to suffer with a furious mechanic for the next few days. He sighed, leaning against the doorframe, and could already see the familiar blonde mop of hair appearing in the distance.

The sand gravel crunched under the wheels as the two alchemists grew to a halt. Ed looked up and smiled, he was going to greet his brother, only to find himself in a tight embrace.

"BrotheritsbeensolongImissedyousomuch!!"

"Don't forget to breathe Al" the blonde replied laughing. Al released Ed and towered over him.

"Looks like you got a little taller too little brother" he smiled. "I believe you've met my chauffer"

"Good to see you again Alphonse, it's been a while hasn't it?"

"Hey Colonel! I hope brothers been behaving himself"

Roy smiled and nodded. There was a loud slam that came from inside the house, followed by another and another. The noises were getting dangerously louder. Al looked over his shoulder and back to his brother, laughing nervously.

"I should warn you brother, Winrys not in the best mood today"

"Shit."

The door almost swung off its hinges, slamming into the wall violently. Ed winced and leaned back in chair, pressing himself back as far as he could.

"EDWARD ELRIC!!"

Alphonse was roughly shoved aside; he gave Ed a look of sympathy and lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Uhh.. Hey Winry..."

"Don't hey me! What have you done to my automail!! "

Ed looked down to his empty sleeve guiltily, and mumbled

"It's a long story"

"Oh really? Well lucky for you I've got all the time in the world!"

There was a clang as the teen narrowly avoided a wrench, his hair swaying as he moved. As slam echoed loudly as the blonde slammed the door behind her. Roy stood in front of Ed and swiftly scooped the teen into his arms, and adjusted his hold of him. Alphonse looked on in disbelief. Perhaps Edward had grown up more than he thought. There had been a time when Ed refused help from everyone. To see the Colonel pick him up so easily surprised him greatly, especially when Ed was so willing to co-operate.

As Roy and Ed stepped through the door, they could already detect the musky smell of tobacco in the air. Pinako leaned against the kitchen door frame, with a pipe in one hand, and a tape measure in the other.

"You've certainly done a number this time haven't you Edward?"

The sighed and leaned back into Roy's chest lazily. The woman signalled for Roy to sit Ed on the workbench and stepped aside, revealing a steaming Winry, glaring daggers.

"Don't look at me like that! It wasn't my fault this time!"

She continued to glare.

"It's true! I got witnesses to prove it! Tell her Ro-OW!"

Ed looked up from the bench and pouted.

"That hurt you bastard!"

"Stop complaining or you'll give us all a migraine"

"You'd complain too if you got a splinter in your as-"

"EDWARD!"

There was a clang as Ed narrowly avoided being face planted by a wrench. He scratched the back of his head nervously, hiding behind Roy. The Colonel turned towards the doorway and took a step forward, only to find someone tugging on his sleeve. He looked back to see the blondes pleading eyes looking back at him.

"You can't leave me! She'll kill me!"

"Dam right I will! Do you know how many nights I stayed up to finish those?!" She fumed, pointing to the empty sleeve and trouser leg.

"You're lucky I make most of my earnings off you, you ungrateful little-"

Winry was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder, Alphonse laughed sheepishly.

"Maybe your being a little hasty, I'm sure brother has a reasonable explanation for this, right Ed?"

There was a cough.

"Could we save this discussion for later? I'm sure Ed doesn't want to sit here all day"

Pinako put her pipe aside and kneeled on a stool next to Ed. The teen rolled up his empty trouser leg and revealed a network of wires jutting out of the gaps between the metal plates bolted to his remaining flesh leg.

"Well, it's not all bad, looks like you've grown a few inches since we last saw you"

Winry stepped forward, "It'll take a two nights at the most... spare?"

"No thanks, those things pinch like a-"

"Suit yourself." She pointed to the black shirt Ed was wearing, "Off"

"You have no idea how long it took to dress myself this morning..." he mumbled, pulling the shirt over his head, revealing a tightly bandaged torso. The bandages covered his shoulder blade, and the scars beneath them. Winry pointed to the white material.

"Off"

"But-"

"Off"

"You really don't want to see-"

"Edward." She said sternly.

The teen lowered his head, knowing full well he wasn't getting out of this one. Pulling the strip of white material from his arm, it dangled through his fingers. There was silence.

"B-Brother?" Ed raised his head, "What happened to you?"

"I'd rather not go into detail right now..." his voice trailed off. He looked up at Winry.

"Can you do it?"

She smiled softly.

"Don't insult me Ed; you'll be finished in a week"

**Sorry about the chapter length, the next one will be longer (hopefully)**

**I'm not too proud of this one, but I hope you liked it :)**

**And I hope my spelling won't cause anymore complaints *scratches back of head nervously***

**See you next chapter!**


	26. Something I said?

**Sorry about the wait,**

**Enjoy the chapter :)**

Edward fidgeted from Roy's touch, as his warm fingers brushed against his damaged skin softly. The Colonel was attempting to re-wrap his arm, but the blonde insisted on flinching whenever those fingers went near him.

"Stop moving!"

"I c-can't help it d-dammit!" The teen flinched again as the same hands came in contact with his skin, Roy looked at the blonde sternly.

"It tickles dammit!" There was another flinch.

"Edward."

"Roy." He mimicked cockily.

"Ok, you asked for it"

"What are you-HEY!"

Roy took a seat next to Ed on the workbench, and pulled the blonde onto his lap. He had an arm wrapped around his waist, and held the bandage with the other. He tried to wrap the arm again, only to find the teen still jerked forward irritatingly. Sighing in defeat, Roy's arms encircled his waist, making Edwards cheeks increase in colour.

"What are you playing at you-" he was shushed by a finger.

"Tickles huh?" The Colonel rested his chin on Ed's shoulder, inhaling the scent of his well toned hair, making the teen shiver.

"S-stop you a-asshole"

"You know, this wouldn't of happened if you had the balls to stand up to your mechanic, who's a girl might I add"

"That's easy for you to say! She can be real scary sometimes! Scratch that, she IS scary"

"The great FullMetal alchemist is afraid of a woman..."

"Not afraid! Just a little....wrench aware...."

"Just keep telling yourself that Ed"

Roy buried his face into the long golden locks of hair, the warmth of his cheeks radiating onto the side of Edwards neck. He raised his lips to the blondes ear.

"Now be a good boy and stay still"

Ed froze as the Colonels skilled fingers worked as wrapping his shoulder the colour increasing rapidly in his porcelain cheeks. Lowering his head, his long hair fell forward, obstructing his vision.

"Thanks..."

"You're welcome" Roy resumed his place on Ed's shoulder, smiling into the crook of his neck, arms wrapped around his chest, pulling the teen close.

The workshop was unusually empty, occupied by just the two of them. Winrys absence contributed to the peace. There was no clang of wrenches, no hammering, and no ear splitting drilling bouncing off the walls. Al, Winry and Pinako were just outside the door, talking amongst themselves. Every now and again the floor would creak, and their shadows moved under the door, Ed shifted nervously.

Of course he was going to inform his brother of his...attachment to Roy eventually... but he had no idea when eventually would be. He was already preparing a scenario in his head, bracing himself for the different reactions he could get. Whether his brother approved or not, he wasn't surrendering the Colonel to anyone. He'd waited long enough to be this happy, and no one could take this happiness from him. No one.

The Colonel could feel Ed's back stiffen as he inhaled the scent of his musky shampoo. He loved Edward's hair. Despite its length, it suited him. Most men couldn't pull it off, but Ed looked very dignified with a high ponytail. In Roy's opinion, he looked very incredibly handsome when those honey locks cascaded loosely down his back. He was surprised when Ed placed his hand on top of his own, cradling it to his muscular chest. He had to admit, it was nice for the teen to show affection, he preferred it to the usual angry outbursts.

Edward tried to peel Roy's arms off of him.

"We can't sit here all day"

"Why not?" He mumbled into Ed's neck, tightening his grip.

"Come onnnn, get offfff!" The Colonel refused to move.

"Are you deaf? I said-" The blonde groaned as Roy planted soft kisses along the side of his neck. He lounged back into his chest.

"Stop distracting me you fiend..." Ed could feel his skin tingle where those warm lips had been, each spot tingled. The same lips were getting closer, working up an invisible ladder across his cheek. Edward closed his eyes, groaning dangerously loud. He threaded his fingers through the thick locks of raven hair. Golden orbs looked into those dark irises as the teen unthreaded his fingers, poking Roy in the chest.

"Are you going to let go anytime soon?" the grip only tightened.

"Let go of meeee!" The blonde whined, pulling at the arms trapping him.

"I said-" Roy decided he couldn't take much more of the teens whining and put his mouth to much better use. Sliding the blonde aside, he stood, his back facing Ed.

"Your wish is my command" There was a growl from behind him. Roy turned to retaliate, only to find a hand roughly pull his collar yanking him forward. Their faces were just inches apart...

"Second thoughts" the blond purred, "five more minutes..." their lips barley grazed when the door swung open, the Colonel stepped aside from the blonde, who was desperately trying to hide the disappointed plastered across his face. Alphonse stood in the doorway, smiling like always.

"I hope your both hungry!"

"Am I ever!" Ed grinned.

"You're always hungry" Roy smirked as he lifted the teen into his arms. "I'm surprised you're so little for someone who eats so much..."

"YOU-"

"Brother! The Colonel was joking! Come on, the foods getting cold!"

"So Al, when's the wedding?" Ed grinned, seeing Alphonse and Winry choke in sync. Winry coughed.

"Honestly Edward, I have no idea what you're talking about"

It had been a very eventful dinner so far. Roy had particularly enjoyed watching a frustrated Ed chase the food around his plate one handedly. The blonde growled before slamming his fork in defeat.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to lie?" For a moment, the teen laughed softly. He stopped, noticing no one was laughing with him, the others looked on plainly. He giggled nervously...

"Something I said?"

Pinako smiled and shook her head.

"Same old Edward..."

Since Ed had first arrived in central, Roy had always admired his positive attitude. The blonde was always smiling, despite his hectic life; he managed to keep his chin up. He'd been forced to face and endure so much at a young age. When he was just twelve years old he was serving the military, while the other kids his age were going to school, doing homework, while Edward was writing reports.

Al was blushing a deep shade of beetroot, as was the blonde sitting beside him. Ed however, was lounging back in his chair, grinning proudly at the scene before him.

"Honestly, turn my back for five minutes..."

"Edward stop teasing your brother!" Winry fumed, "At least he can hold down a girlfriend! An ass like you doesn't deserve one!"

"Winry" Pinako said sternly, looking over her glasses.

"But he star-"

"I don't care who started it, your an adult now, I expect you to behave like one"

"Yeah Winry!" Ed grinned.

"You too Ed" Roy smirked.

"I weren't talking to you, you bast- I mean Colonel..."

"Alphonse, is your brother ticklish?"

"Don't even think about it!" he shuffled away. A gloved hand poked his side, making him flinch.

"Stop touching me!" Roy leaned closed to his ear and whispered just loud enough for him to hear...

"_That's not what you were saying earlier..."_

The teen blushed, lowering his head, tucking the loose hair behind his ears.

"So...umm...brother, you looking after the apartment?"

**It could have been a little longer, but I'm quite satisfied with this one : )**

**Hope you liked it, see you next chapter!**


	27. Marked

**Hello!**

**Ok, what I'm about to say will sound extremely stupid, but it has to be said. In the last chapter name I forgot the capital letters!!! It annoyed me so much I had to apologise for it.**

**ANYWAY new chapter, enjoy : )**

Edward leaned on the window sill, gazing up at the stars, the white beams of light piercing the chalky blue sky. His head propped up by a hand.

"Ed?"

He craned his neck to find Roy standing in the doorway, a towel draped over his shoulders. He was lacking his usual white shirt, revealing a well toned pale chest. Despite he was older than most military soldiers; the man certainly knew how to look after himself. His tousled raven locks hung in front of his eyes irritatingly. He tried blowing them aside, only to find them fall back in place. Roy placed a warm hand on the blonde shoulder, as Ed turned back to the misted glass.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now..."

"Can't..." Edward sighed, grasping a picture frame in his hand, and holding it up to the light. It was an image Roy had encountered before. That same photograph he had received with a letter many years ago, from two young boys searching for their father. Trisha Elric and her husband each had a child in their arms; the children were conveniently matched with an adult that had inherited the same hair colour. Edward was with his father, grinning and trying desperately to pull the glasses perched on his nose. The colonel had to admit, now Ed was older, he was almost a spitting image of Hohenheim, lacking a few features of course.

There was a thunk as the frame was put back in its place; Ed could feel the mattress dip behind him. As he was embraced from behind, he knew immediately who those arms belonged to. He recognised that sweet smelling aftershave that tickled his nostrils senseless.

"Something's bothering you"

"It's nothing"

"Doesn't look like nothing to me"

"It's nothing...."

"Ed." There was silence.

"Edward." He sighed, and decided it was time to take drastic action. Hovering his lips over the blonde's ear, he whispered.

"I'm always here to listen to you, you know that don't you?" he kissed the pale skin of his neck tenderly. Ed leaned back into his chest and groaned in defeat. Not even the great FullMetal alchemist could resist the charm of Roy Mustang.

"Fine. If you want to know that badly-OW!" the teen flinched, rubbing the side of his neck, were a fresh bite mark was beginning to appear.

"What was that for?!"

"Lying" The Colonel pressed his lips to the marked skin and leaned back into the plump pillows, sinking into the feathers.

"Well?" Roy asked.

"I-I Don't know how to tell him..."

"Tell who?"

"Al... about...us..." Golden orbs locked with piercing black irises.

"I know I have to do it sometime, I mean, he's my brother you know?"

Roy placed a kiss to his temple and began to thread his fingers through the honey strands of hair, feeling the silk threads brush against his skin. He could feel warm breath tickle his chest, smiling in content.

"I think he'll appreciate you telling him"

"I hope your right..."

Edward felt familiar warm fingers hook under his chin, tilting his head to lock eyes with the man once more.

"I won't make you do it alone, we'll both tell him. Tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow"

"And Winry?"

"And Winry"

Ed could already feel the butterflies beginning to appear in his stomach. Nerves, right? It had to be, unless... it was something else. Something much deeper. The sensation in his chest, the warm blood running through his veins. Love. As soppy as it was, he was content with the answer. He closed his eyes, savouring the taste of Roy's warm lips covering his own. Trailing a hand down his arm, he laced their fingers together.

"Thank you"

Lips hovered over his own, and whispered softly.

"My pleasure"

"Roy?"

"Hm?" the Colonel raised an eyebrow, whilst rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, yawning. He'd spent most of the night trying to force himself into sleep. Usually, he had no problems sleeping, but perhaps the slumbering teen in his arms had been a sight too good to ignore. He could look all he wanted when Edward was asleep, the feisty blonde couldn't shy away like usual. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but Roy Mustang was beginning to regret his lack of sleep.

"Could you... braid my hair?"

"It would be an honour" he smiled, taking the elastic entwined in Ed's fingers. Roy was rather flattered. After all, it wasn't everyday he was asked to braid the teen's trademark hair. Securing his work with a thick band, he admired his handy work. After all, styling his own hair wasn't much of a challenge.

"Thanks"

"No problem"

Untangling his limbs from the covers, Roy couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the bed beside him, the crisp sheets remained untouched. Ed was already out of his nightclothes, and had managed to change unaided for the first time in two weeks. At least it was a start.

Black irises scanned the young man perched on the edge of the bed, absorbing the view. It had been years since Edward had been seen with the childish braid, and his trademark black attire. It made him look much younger than he already was. The honey haired teen was wearing leather trousers and a black vest top, hanging loosely over his shoulders to reveal a bandaged torso. It was then Roy Mustang began to feel the nerves kicking in. It would be in a few hours time he sat beside his beloved Edward and revealed the true extent of their relationship. He realised Ed's young appearance wasn't going to do him any favours, especially when he looked old enough to be his father...

"Ready to go?" Ed asked tiredly. He was bathed in sunlight beaming through the window pane, the light made his hair glow golden, almost like a halo. Roy answered with a nod and stood, pulling on his usual white button up shirt, rolling the long sleeves past his elbows.

It was already twelve o clock as Ed and Roy finally emerged from upstairs. Dumping the teen in a kitchen chair, Roy took a seat beside him and covered his ears, irritated. He was trying to protect his delicate eardrums from the ear splitting drilling coming from the workshop, the door was wide open. He groaned. If he wasn't awake earlier, he certainly was now. Ed was grinning sheepishly, and mouthed, 'Sorry, she does that a lot'.

The noise ground to a halt, and the others soon emerged, pulling the plugs from their ears.

"Morning Brother! Morning Colonel!" Ed sunk back into the chair and groaned.

"How can you be so enthusiastic at this time of day?"

"It's almost lunch time! And your legs finished!" he smiled raking a hand through his thick hair.

"Thanks Win"

She smiled, followed by a yawn.

"I don't know about you guys, but I need a coffee..."

It was minutes later the entire family were gathered around the table, drinking together, Pinako and Roy sighing at the usual squabbling that broke out.

"Can I have my leg back today?" Ed asked, "Pleaseeee!" He pleaded.

"I can't take much more sitting around!"

Winry grinned, "Well, I don't know, it's much nicer without you rampaging through the house like a maniac..."

"HEY!"

"Hmmm... What do you think Colonel?"

"Well, he's been a good boy, so why not?"

The blonde punched his fists into the air with excitement like a young child.

"First thing I'm going to do when I get that blasted thing back is do 20 laps of the house!"

Roy placed a hand on his shoulder. "Easy kiddo, I don't want you straining yourself" the teen pouted.

"But I got so much energyyyy!"

Roy muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the blonde to hear.

"_How about we put that energy of yours to a much better use, hm?_" the blonde calmed immediately, and began to pull at his collar.

"Geez, it's a little hot in here, don't you think?"

**Sorry about the wait! I tried to make it a bit longer; I know my chapters are shorter than they should be, sorry!**

**See you next chapter, and thanks again for the reviews and subscriptions! : )**


	28. Always

**Hey guys! New chapter just for you :)**

**Hope you like it!**

"Ready Ed?"

"Just get it over with" he grimaced.

"Sorry Colonel, you're going to have to wait outsid-"

"NO!" Ed raised his voice, a little louder than he intended to. He latched onto Roy's wrist as Winry looked on disapprovingly.

"I...well...it's just..." Roy couldn't help but smile softly, watching the teen trying to justify himself while managing to hold back a scarlet blush. The blonde looked up, to he owner of the hand resting on his shoulder.

"All you have to do is ask"

"I... uhhh... thanks..."

Winry looked from Ed to Roy. It had been noticeable that both alchemists had been getting on very well in each other's company recently. The bitterness that was once a barrier between them, seemed to have eroded over time. Each conversation she had with Edward usually contained a complaint about the flame. But it seemed that Ed had stopped complaining a long time ago, and set their differences aside, and rightly so at the age of nineteen.

"Let's do this"

Ed lay back on the couch anxiously, eyeing the lever in Winrys grip as if it were a machine gun. He knew the experience would be far from a pleasant one, he was even more weary trying to think back to the last time his leg had been reconnected. He couldn't remember.

The blonde mechanic tightened her grip on the lever.

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be"

"On the count of three..."

It was always the wait Ed couldn't stand the most. It gnawed at his patience hungrily, enjoying every last moment of waiting.

"1" Edward close his eyes tightly.

"2" He opened a single eye and looked up at Roy, debating whether or not he had enough time to make his next move.

"3!" The blonde grabbed the Colonels hand, giving it a tight squeeze as his nerves burned angrily in protest. Through the pain, he would have smiled, feeling the man squeeze back. But he couldn't. Ed muffled a cry, biting down hard on his lip. Something Winry had picked up on over the years. She'd noticed how the eldest Elric would hide the true extent of discomfort he was in, as if it was just a scratch, insignificant.

He let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding in. Opening his eyes, he released Roy from his grip, looking up apologetically.

"Sorry..."

"You didn't pass out this time" Winry said, getting up from her stool "I'm impressed". Ed scratched the back of his head and hissed in pain, shifting his gaze from Roy.

"You... must think... I'm such a wimp..." a finger pressed to his lips. Roy could see the blonde was in much discomfort, and decided to rescue him from his own stubbornness.

"Shhh..."

"But-"

"Hush. You're in no condition to be having this conversation right now, it can wait"

Ed could already feel his eyelids grow heavy as sleep began to take him. As the darkness pulled him in, a familiar comforting voice graced his hearing.

"I'm not going anywhere..."

"mmmm...." Edward groaned lazily and fought his consciousness from interrupting such a wonderful slumber. Unfortunately, his senses were on overdrive, every touch and sound was amplified, much to his discomfort.

He could feel those warm hands raking through his hair that had been mussed from sleep. There he was, back in the same bed he'd risen from just a few hours ago. He yawned, and naturally stretched out his sluggish joints, only to hiss as his thigh stung in protest.

"You ok?" black irises peered into welcoming golden orbs, as blonde eyelashes flickered vigorously. Ed rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and groaned lazily, looking down at the sheets pooled around his waist.

"Back where I started huh?"

"That doesn't answer the question"

"I'm –yawn- OW-fine" Roy raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Just a bit of cramp, I think I'll manage to live another day" The Colonel traced his jaw line lovingly.

"Al wants you to eat"

"Arhh.." He moaned, the bright light stinging his eyes. "Foolish little brother! I'll make you pay...."

"Ready?" Ed sunk back into the pillows.

"You mean..."

"Dam right I do"

"That too? I'm not sure I can handle so much in a day..."

"Well, unlucky for you, you don't have a choice" he smirked, softly pressing his lips to the blondes.

"Come on soldier, time to go"

There was an awkward silence at the table. It had been an awfully quiet dinner so far, except the occasional cough or slurp. Roy looked over at Ed's plate. The teen had barely eaten a thing, and was currently pushing the food around his plate like a young child he was once was. He could read Ed's feelings like a book. Nerves. Lots of them.

Eventually, everyone had finished. Unfortunately for Ed as he was about to leave the table, a hand firmly clamped down on his shoulder, pinning him in his seat.

"Not trying to run away are you Edward?" the Colonel smirked proudly.

"No! Never..." the blonde fidgeted nervously, and swore he would never be doing anything like this again. If people wanted to know, they could find out themselves.

"Brother?" Ed looked across the table, smiling falsely at his younger brother.

"Hm?"

"Something wrong?"

"Noooo! Honestly! Nothing" I'm fine!"

"Are you sure? You've been acting really weird since you woke up... you've barley touched you food..." Winry and Pinako both raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Geez Al! You're such a worry wart! I'm fine! Really!"

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Oh I wouldn't put it past you" Winry added cooly.

"I'm F.I.N.E." Roy released the grip on his shoulder.

"Don't try to lie Ed, you'll only hurt yourself"

"WHAT?! Your sposed to be on my side here!" the blonde jabbed a finger into Roy's chest accusingly.

"I'm injured and innocent, remember?"

"Of course you are Ed"

"So Edward, care to share what's gotten your panties in such a bunch?" Winry was done with the excuses. She was eager to find the cause of Ed's peculiar behaviour.

"I..urr..." the blonde looked at the floor nervously. He'd never felt so nervous in his entire life, not even since the state exams. Suddenly, he began to think escaping was a comfortable option. The door had never looked so welcoming. However, it didn't look like he could leave anytime soon. Looking to Roy pleadingly, the man looked as calm and collected as ever. He nodded.

"I..." the words dissolved in his mouth, crumbling as they rolled off his tongue.

"I..urmm..." everyone was staring now, wide eyed like he was some bizarre experiment. It was then Ed realised. He couldn't do it.

"I can't do it!" he cried defeated, collapsing face first onto the table. He lolled he head aside and let out the breath he'd been holding in. The Colonel sighed.

"C'mon Edo, just a couple of words, that's all you have to say"

"If you think it's so easy, why don't you do it golden balls!"

"I really don't think-"

"No really, I think you should!" Roy cleared his throat.

"Ok Alphonse, I think as Edwards brother, you should know that.. uhh... we... care for each other a lot..."

"Speak for yourself..."

"Shut up Ed! And uhh..." Pinako could see were this conversation was going. It was painfully obvious what the man was trying to say. Al and Winry however, were completely oblivious.

"I love him!" Ignoring the silence, Edward continued.

"So now you know! And know... I can go back to sleep"

Silence.

"Brother, I- this is.. Unexpected, but- if your happy, I can't give any objections" he smiled, until the blonde beside him was exploding in her seat.

"You... and him?" she pointed from Ed to Roy. "He's a guy! And... You're superior..."

"Winry, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions-"

"He's old enough to be your father!" It was then Roy looked down at the floor, which he thought was a sensible idea. Age was a touchy issue. Something both alchemists hadn't talked about before. Of course Ed couldn't care less how old Roy was, but he didn't appreciate Winry making his lover sound like a complete criminal.

"I'm nineteen for god's sake! It's not illegal!" Both blondes continued to squabble until they were blue in the face. Roy, Al and Pinako watched the scene unveil itself before them as they looked on in awkward silence, glancing at each other occasionally. Pinako was getting impatient.

"ENOUGH!" both blondes grew silent and turned to the woman twirling a black pipe through her fingers, a deep scowl etched across her face.

"I've had enough of this discussion! Edward is old enough to take care of himself now, he doesn't need mothering Winry"

"Can't you see?! It'll never work!" she turned back to Ed "Ed think about this! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I have thought about it! Every minute since I first saw him at the station, every time I handed in a report!"

"But Ed-"

"I pulled out my own ports to save his ass! And you know what? I don't regret a thing!"

"Edward, please" Golden orbs turned, and melted into ravishing black irises. Roy's words were comforting, and rang through his ears pleasantly. Despite the situation, Roy smiled sweetly.

"If you've opened any stitches Mr I won't be very happy"

"You won't be happy?! Your sposed to be backing me up here!"

"Anything for you Edo" he smirked, satisfied after hearing Winry growl maliciously.

"Colonel?" Al stood and bravely interrupted.

"Will you look after him?"

"Always"

**I wrote this one in dribs and drabs because I had a busy week, so sorry if you didn't like it. But more importantly.... I updated!**

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	29. Finding Me

**Thanks again for your reviews and subscriptions!**

**I don't reply to them as much as I should, but I do read every single one of them,**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

"Their worried you know"

Edward craned his neck to fine Roy leaning against a tree behind him, looking down upon him, smiling. The blonde was sat on the damp grass, leaning back on the bark of the tree, hand folded under his head. He looked back to the stars.

"Need to clear my head" There was a soft thud as the Colonel took a seat beside him, gazing up at the violet sky.

"Could you clear your head at home next time? When Al said you were missing I almost passed out" Ed turned his head to face Roy, using his only hand to turn the man's face, their gazes locking.

"Don't say things like that!" The raven haired man smiled, entwining the blonde's fingers with his own.

"There's a little more life left in me yet" Golden orbs broke the connection, looking down to the floor sadly. His grip tightened around the older man.

"Don't say stuff like that either..." Roy simply smiled, resting his chin on Edwards's shoulder, his cheek absorbing the warmth radiating through the loose locks of honey coloured hair.

"It's ok you know" Ed sighed.

"Really? It's cruel what she said to you! But none of its true..."

"Stop worrying about it"

"But I do..." an arm pulled the blonde close, propped in Roy's lap, hands remained laced together in comfort.

"She's right though; I'm not exactly fresh out of high school am I?"

"Sure you are!"

"I'm twice your age Ed, I'm going out with a teenager"

"And?"

"It doesn't bother you?" the blonde turned, catching the man's gaze, smiling softly. He answered with a simple kiss.

"Not-one-bit" he breathed between soft kisses. Looking back at the sky, Ed collapsed back into Roy's chest, rising and falling with each breath he took.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Al said you'd be here, bet his life on it"

"Knows me too well" the blonde laughed. "Used to come here all the time when I was kid. Only place I could get any peace... But when Mom died..." Roy tightened his grip reassuringly. "I didn't come back... not until tonight"

The Colonel rested his chin atop of Ed's head; the loose wires of hair tickled his skin. It was nice to hold him like this. Despite the intense arguing a few hours ago, both alchemists felt calm and at ease with themselves. It gave them time to think things over. Roy hoped the blonde would always be there after days like this one. To remind him how good life truly was, how nice it was to hold him in his arms, and most importantly, to make him feel young again.

Ed had never treated him like old man; it made him savour the blondes company more than his colleagues. They looked up to him as a father figure. As flattering as it was, it didn't do his enthusiasm any good. When Maes was alive, things were much different. He taught the Colonel to live each day as if it were his last. Hughes had been the only person close to his age. Roy could still picture the man's childish grin, flaunting his latest batch of pictures. When Hughes and Ed were gone, the office had been far from lively. It was silent. Occasionally there would be the sound of someone signing their papers, or a lieutenant dragging their feet down the corridor. There was the absence of a flashing camera, and a certain blonde's drastic mood swings.

"Hippy..." Edward blushed, throwing the flowers and blades of grass from his fingers aside.

"Am not! What's wrong with nature?"

"Oh nothing really... but a girl like you couldn't possibly understand...."

"I'll show you who the girl is!" Ed grinned maliciously, turning quickly in Roy's lap. Lunging for the man's wrists, he pinned them above his head to the tree, tightening his grip victoriously and kneeling between his legs.

"How can you do that with one arm?"

"Practise, now hush. You must be punished" Edward was definitely no girl, and the Colonel made a note to himself to call the blonde female more often if it produced results like this. He could already feel his lips beginning to bruise.

"So cruel" he breathed softly, their noses almost touching. The teen raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like me to kiss it better?" he smirked.

"I think I've learnt my lesson for one day" Roy pulled his wrists from the blondes grip, and lowered a hand to tuck a loose strand of honey hair behind Ed's ear. Edward caught Roy's hand in his own as it brushed against his cheek. The Colonel used his free hand to pull the teen close to his chest, lacing their fingers together.

"You're very nice when you're quiet" the blonde looked up at him cockily.

"Oh really? That's rich coming from an ass like y-" a pair of soft lips collided with his own briefly. Ed rested his chin on the man's chest, head rising and falling in the rhythm of his breathing.

"Careful _Colonel, _you might just be starting something" he grinned.

"What if I am? Might as well make the most of your brothers absence, we wouldn't want to scar his innocent mind"

"I'm sure Winry would be thrilled" The mention of the mechanic made both alchemists groan. They could still see those piercing looks she gave them. If looks could kill...

"We should get moving" Edward moaned in protest, and tightened his grip. Roy tried to pry the teen from his waist, only finding he clung tighter.

"You asked for it" The Colonel slung the teen over his shoulder and began the short journey back. It was almost completely black. If it wasn't for the glow of the moon, it would have been impossible to see.

After many minutes of struggling, Ed surrendered, and hung lazily over the man's muscular shoulders. As Roy began to walk, the house was getting closer. The lights were still on. Al and Winry probably hadn't slept yet. Ed smiled, although he knew he should be bracing himself for another heated argument. Lack of sleep meant Winry would be more grouchy than usual. It was at times like this he was thankful the Rockbell's didn't have any neighbours.

"Are you still getting your ports tomorrow?" The blonde stifled a yawn, and proceeded to stretch out his back.

"-yawn- Yeah, not till late though. I have to be wide awake for it. Was sposed to sleep earlier tonight..." he smiled. It was undoubtedly past midnight. His smile dropped. Edward hoped that Winry would be wide awake during the procedure. It wouldn't do him any favours if she messed up.

**I know its short, but I couldn't really add anything else to this one.**

**See you next chapter :)**


	30. I've Got You

**30! Woahh!**

**Only seems like yesterday I was posting my first ever chapter, thanks for sticking with me this far! I thought I would make this one a little longer to celebrate getting to 30.**

**Enjoy :)**

"Please Ed! I need you to keep still and stay calm for me!"

Edward Elric was shaking like a leaf. His eyes scanned the room franticly in desperation, searching for an escape. His limbs thrashed in his brother's grip, who was trying hard to pin him to the cold table. Unfortunately for Al, his brother was much stronger than himself; the automail didn't do him any favours either. Ed however, had more important things on his mind. The room was too familiar.

Roy was speechless. He had never seen the blonde so frantic before, not even on a mission. He took the teens hand delicately, fearing it would break should he hold it too tightly. Edward looked so fragile, tears threatening to spill over those pale porcelain cheeks. When Ed felt the warmth of the Colonels skin against his own he collapsed back onto the table, golden eyes looking up timidly at deep black ones.

"It's ok Ed" the man soothed, rubbing circles of the back of the blondes hand comfortingly.

"It's not!!" "I don't think I c-can d-do it!"

"It's ok; I'm here, just like you asked"

The terrified blonde clamped his eyes shut tightly. He wondered, if he tried hard enough, could he drown everything out? The familiar clanking of tools, the strong smell of iron. Taking sharp breaths, he tried to calm himself, breathing in, and out.

"I guess it's worse second time round..." he tried to laugh nervously "I t-think I'm more nervous than before..." he trailed off, paling further when he saw Winry approach, with instruments lining a silver tray, the blades shining strongly in the light. Ed knew his fate had been sealed. Any chances of escape had crumbled. There was no way he could get out of this one; it had to be done sometime.

As the mechanic stepped closer, Roy could feel his hand loose more and more blood circulation. Not that he minded, this was nothing compared to how Ed was feeling, he had no right to complain. Winry rolled her sleeves past her elbows and tightened her ponytail. The scalpel in her hand inched closer.

Al wasn't so sure he wanted to watch. He's never witnessed surgery on automail ports before, not even all those years ago when he'd carried a bloody looking Ed to the safety of the workshop. The teen in question had his eyes shut tightly, and was trying to concentrate on slowing his breathing. He jumped slightly, feeling the wrap on the remains of what was once an arm, fall limply to the table.

"Ok Ed, same as before, you're going to feel a small scratch..."

The blonde bit down hard on his lip, trying hard to ignore the pain. Of course, he knew the worst was yet to come, he was just abiding his time for now, but he vowed he wasn't going to make a fool of himself. Not in front of Roy and Al. Ever.

"Anyone-would-think-you-enjoy-torturing-me..." his smiled faded, feeling the dampness pool around his skin. "Cant-you-knock-me-out-or something?"

"No can do, wouldn't want to connect everything to the wrong wires now would I?"

"I'm willing-to take-that risk..."

"Well I'm not"

Roy was amazed the teen was still conscious; he wouldn't be surprised if Ed passed out eventually. His thoughts were soon pushed aside when the blonde flinched. Al soon had his brother flat against the cold wood again. There was a muffled hiss.

"Talk to him" Winry said to Roy, a tool between her teeth.

"You're doing good Ed" he soothed, using a hand to run his fingers comfortingly through the loose strands of honey hair.

"Sure I aMMRGHH!" he cried out, "You-think-I'm doing-good-now? This-is-nothing...wait-a-little longer... then-you'll-sEEEE!"

"Edward, I need to check the wires are working-"

"NO! There fine! Honestly!"

"That's funny, I thought I was the expert, it'll only take a second..." her voice trailed off into silence, until the teen began to thrash in his brothers grip, holding the Colonel like a lifeline.

"IT WORKS! NOW JUSTTARGGHH!"

Winry stopped, and the teen collapsed back onto the hollow table with exhaustion. Roy brushed the loose hair from his face, coated with a thin sheet of sweat. The blonde was breathing heavily, in through the nose, and out from the mouth, his chest rising and falling sharply. He turned his head towards his ports, only to find someone turn it back.

"Don't look"

"That-bad-huh?"

"It's not that, it's just... I'd rather you looked at something much more worthwhile" he smirked.

"Don't-flatter-yourself"

"You didn't deny it though"

"OW!" Ed hissed at Winrys sudden roughness. Golden orbs narrowed at Roy.

"Laugh-I-dare-you" the Colonel merely smiled in return.

"Sorry _dear_"

There was a hoarse growl, followed by a muffled hiss. The teen could feel the level of pain increasing, his nerves cried restlessly. It was like having a filling; the nerves were being worn down, wet from the flow of crimson. The only person still looking was Winry. Alphonse had given up when his brother started to thrash, and the Colonel daren't look. He had to stay strong for Ed.

"Edward, I need you to stay still for me"

"Are-you-nearly-finISHEDDD!" Al had been interrupted from his sleepy trance, and was pinning his brother down with all his strength. He had to admit, the teen was strong, despite missing a few limbs, and with metal ones? That only made him twice as powerful. The blonde continued to trash in agony, restless. He felt truly exhausted. Each muscle in his body stung protestingly, especially his shoulders being held down by Al. He wouldn't be surprised if there was bruising there tomorrow.

Roy was stroking the blondes clammy pale face, he felt useless. There was nothing he could do to take the pain away. If he could switch places, he would, every bone in his body. Edward opened an eye, biting down hard on his lip. For a few moments, he bravely watched the mechanic at work, although he couldn't really see what she was doing, just the occasional change of tool and the tightening of the bandana around her forehead.

Both blondes looked to each other understandingly. Winry nodded, Edward closed his eyes as tightly as he could. Roy and Alphonse could feel him shaking with fear. When the noise of tools clanking echoed through the air, the shaking grew stronger. To Ed, it seemed that Winry was taking longer than usual; she knew how anxious he was. Little did she know the waiting hurt the most.

"Please...just-get-this-over-with" he managed between breaths. Winry nodded. She lifted the metal plates onto the table, moving them into position. The teen jumped feeling the cold metal touch his skin. The metallic taste of blonde reached his tongue as his lip began to bleed. The familiar comforting warm hand stroked his cheek. Cracking open his eyes, their gazes met.

"Ed?"

"Roy...Roy...Roy...." the blonde squeezed her hand tighter, as he called the name more and more deperatley, a fearful look in his honey eyes. He knew what was coming. The plates. They had to be bolted to his shoulder.

Roy had never seen the teen so defenceless. This wasn't the same fearless Ed he'd seen before. He felt touched that Edward had allowed him to see him like this. There weren't many people who could say they'd seen the FullMetal Alchemist so badly shaken up. The Colonel had no idea how painful automail was. Often he would think back to the times when the blonde had requested leave for repairs. He felt embarrassed and heartless for the way he had reacted. He could only hope Edward had forgotten about it.

_The eldest Elric swallowed nervously, peering up at the familiar gold nameplate. The words seemed to mock him, as I they could see what was coming. 'Come on!' he scolded himself for being so stupid. Shakily raising a fist, he awkwardly knocked with his left hand. The door opened slowly, creaking on its hinges eerily. It was like a bad horror film, and Ed prayed it wouldn't have the same ending. He vowed to leave the office in one piece. _

_The door revealed a very miserable looking Colonel Roy Mustang. A scowl deeply etched into his face. The teen could have laughed. Roy's face had 'Ed' practically written all over it. If he wasn't so nervous, he would have cracked a joke by now, but maybe now wasn't the time. Edward scratched the back of his head nervously._

"_How's it going Colonel?"_

"_Would you __really__ like to know?" Ed gulped. His gaze turned to the floor. Never before had the navy carpet looked so appealing. His feet shuffled slightly, edging closer to the desk daringly. He looked to the Colonel._

"_So...Uh..I...Can I ask you something? I could really do with a break-"_

"_You think __you__ could do with a break? Trust me, I know the feeling!" Roy slammed his hands on the desk as he rose from his seat, towering over the blonde._

"_Care to explain?" Ed laughed nervously._

"_Oh! You mean this?" he looked down at his empty right sleeve. "Well, you're not gunna believe me..."_

"_Try me."_

"_It fell off"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_You heard me"_

"_Please tell me this is your idea of a joke?"_

"_Well, I'm surprised it lasted this long really-"_

"_A WEEK." The Colonel fumed. "You have ONE week" he raised a single finger, "Just one!"_

"_But-"_

"_A week."_

"_It's a little short notice, I can't just turn up! Winrys got to-"_

"_Look FullMetal! I can't keep giving you time off because you keep breaking! I let you get away with murder as it is! Could you keep yourself in one piece for more than five minutes!"_

_The door slammed, echoing through the corridors of central. The raven haired man ran his fingers through his short locks, and collapsed back into his leather, rubbing his temples._

A trail of salty tears dripped down Edwards porcelain cheeks. His lips were sore from biting, and he had never felt so humiliated in all his life. He'd always been the backbone, stripped of all emotion, a tool for the military to use whenever it pleased. Ed always felt awkward when it came to showing emotion. He was always unsure if he was doing it right, or if he looked like a complete idiot. But now, he was too tired to care, beyond worrying.

"I'm proud of you" Roy soothed. The Colonel was sat up on the table, his legs hanging over the side. He held the teens head in his lap, raking his fingers through the long threads of golden hair. The worst was over, but there was still the task of connecting. The blonde wouldn't calm down until Roy asked him too softly. Winrys approached with a lever.

"Come on Ed, I'm almost done now" the mechanic said softly.

"But-it-hurts! Even-worse-than-last-time!"

"Edward" Roy said softly, "I've got you"

**Sorry if it was a little sappy! I think I made Ed like too much of a girl, but, I wanted to see him with his defences down. Hope you enjoyed :)**

**Sorry about the long wait.**


	31. Thats More Like it

**Hello, me again : )**

**I hope you're not getting sick of me just yet, there's a lot more yet to come! This fic was only supposed to be 20 chapters, but now the plan is 40!**

**Enjoy!**

The golden locks of silk cascaded down the side of the plump pillows, hanging limply over the edge of the mattress. The blonde had been deep in sleep since the previous afternoon, oblivious to the passing of another day, not even stirring. The sun shone brightly through a small gap in the curtains, basking his face in warm light, body moulded into the mattress.

Roy looked on in awe. He truly believed he was the luckiest man alive. The man occupying the bed beside him was like a diamond, precious, beautiful, and valuable indeed. He didn't know if he should worry about the oblivious Ed. Was it normal to sleep this long after repairs? It was strange seeing him so... quiet. Like snow in summer, it didn't belong, and wasn't natural. Not that he minded of course, the teen dozing quietly meant he could stare just that little while longer without being caught.

Edward looked so delicate. During surgery the Colonel feared if Winry was too rough she would snap him cleanly in half. Golden lashes fluttered slowly, a groan escaping from his lips.

"Morning" Roy smiled.

"Mmm..." the blonde closed his eyes, in hope that he would drift back to sleep. Unfortunately, Roy had no intentions of letting him sleep any further; he was egger to see how the teen was feeling. A warm hand brushed the hair from his eyes, stroking his cheek as it pulled away from his face. Ed yawned.

"It's such a beautiful day don't you think?"

"Yeah... just wonderful..." after rubbing his eyes, Ed flipped back the covers tangled in his limbs and looked down at the light metal on his right side. Flexing his fingers his groggy smile soon disappeared. Sitting up, he continued to stare in wonder at his mechanics latest creation.

"Something wrong?" Edward looked to Roy and back to his artificial arm.

"No, it's just going to take some getting used to... its lighter..."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Course not -yawn-, but it does mean if I decide to rearrange your face, it won't have the same impact" the Colonels face inched closer.

"Is that a threat, _Edward_" he purred.

"What if it is?" the blonde raised an eyebrow questioningly and grinned. He couldn't wait to find out.

"I guess I'll have to teach a brat like you a lesson... when you're fully recovered of course" he smirked, leaning in to kiss the blondes forehead and leaning back onto the headboard smugly.

"Only you would do something cruel like that" the teen mumbled as he laid back beside Roy, leaning into his chest. He sighed tiredly and closed his eyes.

"Comfortable?"

"-yawn- Very, so you better not plan on moving anytime soon" An arm circled his waist as he spoke, pulling him closer. The raven haired man rested his chin on the teens head, smiling.

"If I had it my way, I'd stay forever"

"Does Winry know you're up here?"

"Shhh..." a finger hushed him.

"I'm 'taking a walk'"

The feisty mechanic had given the Colonel strict instructions to stay away from Ed while he was recuperating. He could have if looks could kill; he'd be six foot under by now.

"She'll kill you, you know that right?" Roy groaned into the blonde's hair. The thought of an angry Winry trying to knock his block off with a wrench really didn't sound appealing.

"Not before I get there first..."

"Happy family's huh!" the blonde yawned "Trust me, I know the feeling"

For a few moments, both alchemists sat in silence, enjoying the warm of the other. They both knew the peace wouldn't last, so they intended to savour each second while it lasted. The Colonel couldn't help but smile to himself, the 'small' blonde fitted in his arms snugly.

'Just the right size' he thought to himself smugly. Perfect.

"How long was I out?"

"Since yesterday" Ed craned his neck to look up at Roy. He tapped his flesh fist on the man's head lightly.

"Edward, what are you doing?"

"She didn't do anything to you did she?"

"Like what exactly?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, but I bet if I opened up your head, you brain would be like spaghetti."

"How rude, haven't I always told you to respect you elders?"

"When I find one, I will"

"You can't fool me; I know what you're thinking" Edward replied with a smug grin and a nod. The Colonel playfully shoved the teen aside gently, putting like a child.

"You hurt my feelings Edward" he mocked, holding a hand to his chest as if he were in pain. Ed merely laughed and turned to fall back onto the mattress, looking up to see Roy looming over him like a sky scraper. For a moment, he paused. But the 'serious' hurt expression on the man's face made him burst into laughter. His ports began to twinge as his chest shook.

"Ow!" he laughed, holding his shoulder with a flesh hand.

"What are you laug- actually, I don't want to know"

"I bet you do" the blonde hooked his fingers under the man's collar, pulling him closer.

"Your face" Ed grinned.

"What about my face?"

"It's better than mine, not allowed" the teen pouted, narrowing his eyes. The Colonel could not control himself any longer. He was in far too good a position to pass the opportunity. Like an animal pouncing on his prey, he divided in for a kiss. Unfortunately, the almost perfect moment was only to be interrupted by the door swinging open, banging as it collided with a wall. The alchemists looked to the doorway looking unfazed, hoping the interruption would get the message and disappear.

How embarrassing. The mechanic looked as if she was going to give them both a piece of her mind, opening her mouth to speak. Instead, she narrowed her eyes angrily and slammed the door behind her unexpectedly.

"Now, where were we?" Roy grinned from ear to ear, hooking an arm around the Edwards neck, pulling his target closer, their noses touching.

"Hmm.. I don't know... You'll have to remind me" Ed purred, lost in the hypnotising black gaze. It was like falling into a swimming pool, he was sinking deeper and deeper until he couldn't surface. Not that he minded of course. It was truly time well spent.

"How could I say no?" Roy said, as he pulled the blonde for a bruising kiss. They were both lost in that single moment, it seemed to last forever. Nothing else mattered. The Colonel was putting every ounce of his emotion into that single gesture, the worry he'd kept bottled up as Ed lay in agony the previous day, all of the respect and love that was reserved specially for the blonde. It was off limits to everyone else.

Speaking of the blonde teen, he rested his head in the crook of the older man's neck, using a flesh hand to run his fingers through the choppy locks of raven hair, rising and falling with his breathing. They stayed like this for what seemed hours, both too comfortable to move.

"I hope you don't plan on moving anytime soon" Ed mumbled into the Colonels neck smiling. Roy tightened his grip in response and raked his hand through the loose blonde hair tickling his chin. The teens gold locks had grown dramatically since he returned from the gate. It almost reached the bottom of his spine. Ed raised a hand and caught the one trespassing through his hair.

"Grow your own" he mumbled.

"Why should I when I can play with yours?"

"Cause it tickles" Roy grinned maliciously and began to massage the blondes scalp with his warm fingers, the heat radiating through his skin.

"Mmm..." Edward groaned in content, "That's more like it!"

**Sorry if that was fillerish, but hoped you liked, next update coming soon.**

**Thank you for your reviews and subscriptions :)**


	32. What!

**Hello folks : )**

**I think this is one of my best chapters, hope you like it!**

As the wind whipped at his face, Edward raised a hand to the man's cheek but before touching the skin, he pulled back. Roy caught the hand in his own and pulled it back to his cheek. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Its... cold" The blonde's eyes strayed from the metal he'd loathed for so long, but he knew deep down he had accepted it a long time ago. Edward couldn't imagine regaining his limbs, however nice the thought may be. They had been artificial for so long, if were as if they were a part of him now. Whenever Winrys latest creation was blown to pieces, Ed couldn't help feeling guilty. After all, it was that metal that had saved his ass so many times before.

"I've told you Edward, it doesn't bother me"

"You don't have to lie you know, I know it's freaky" the Colonels fingers hooked themselves under the teens chin, tilting his head until both gazes met.

"It's not freaky, don't insult yourself like that, there are lots of people who look up to you" he fingered the cool metal. "And this? They think it's amazing"

"I'm glad I was home schooled as a kid, I would have been a circus attraction..."

"I didn't exactly praise school either"

"I can imagine, people giving you orders, flocks of girls mobbing you in the hallways, such a hard life"

Roy groaned, "You have no idea". Ed pulled the metal from Roy's hand, and took hold of his wrist.

"Come on, I want to show you something"

The man followed the blonde through the maze of trees, curious of their destination. He wondered how many years of the teen's childhood it had taken to memorise his way around the woodland without getting lost. There were no areas like this back at home, just the plain terraced houses and thick blocks of concrete. Ed's hair flowed elegantly down his back, moving with the small breeze of the wind. The Colonel had noticed how Ed had released his hair from its usual ponytail recently, not that he mined of course, it suited him devilishly well. Roy tried to picture himself with long raven locks, quickly dismissing the ridiculous image appearing in his head.

Walking through a small clearing, the alchemists were greeted with an empty looking space of land. The grass had faded to yellow, brittle and dry. The trees had stopped growing, shrivelled and dead looking, much like everything else. A large patch of black stained the centre of the grass. The blonde pulled him closer, eyes absorbing the view.

"There's nothing here Ed" the blonde turned to the taller man beside him, smiling sadly.

"To you, maybe"

"This is what you wanted to show me?"

Ed nodded.

"This is where the house used to be" releasing his firm grip on the Colonel, he began to pace slowly. "It's been years since I saw it last... must have been when we set fire to it" he paused. "I don't think Al's been back since..." his voice trailed off. Roy rested a hand on his shoulder, to find it held in the teens grip.

"You want a tour?"

"It would be an honour" Roy smiled.

The blonde guided him forwards, stopping in his tracks. Unhooking his fingers from the Colonels, he swung his arm aside, prying an invisible door open for the man.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"Letting you in of course, are you just going to stand there? It's cold outside" he smiled.

Roy followed him, shivering from the vicious wind.

"Sorry, the heating's not working... not that it matters of course, I'm sure you wouldn't mind me thawing you out" Ed grinned. "And I would offer you a seat, but I'm a little behind on chores" he laughed, pointing to blackened beam of small wood jutting out of the group at an angle.

"Nice place you got here Edo, I might pop in sometime, I'll make sure I bring my wife with me" Roy grinned. Ed raised an eye brow.

"I didn't know you were married"

"Well maybe I soon will be with a little persuasion, I just hope she doesn't get cold feet- or foot I should say" he smirked.

"You know, if you weren't a guest I would have punched you by now, lucky for you your face is too valuable to damage" the blonde smiled falsely. Following Ed to the next 'room' Roy couldn't help but notice the sad smile etched across the teens features. He almost interrupted him, but thought it was best not too. Even he wasn't cruel enough to do that, he would never forgive himself.

"And this is my room" "Sorry about the mess, little brothers these days... let's move on shall we? Nothing special in here..."

For a moment the teen walked on before stopping dead in his tracks. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Ed?" a hand clamped itself back on the blondes shoulder, "Are you ok Edo?" a flesh hand held Roy's tightly. The Colonels arm snaked around his waist, pulling the teen closer to his chest. Resting his chin on his shoulder, he looked to the shaken man, who appearing to be staring at the floor.

"And this, is where the magic happened, and this is where I ruined my brother's life with my own hands" "But you know, I wouldn't change it for the world" he smiled, turning his gaze to Roy's, running a hand through the man's thick raven locks.

"If I hadn't screwed myself up so badly, I wouldn't have joined the military, wouldn't be standing here with you right now, so maybe I wasn't so thick after all"

Roy gave the blonde a loving kiss, touched by the teen's words.

"Are you sure that wasn't rehearsed?" he smiled, brushing a hand over the blondes porcelain cheek.

"Shut up you, or I might not say something so nice next time" Edward tore his gaze from the Colonel and tilted his head up at the sky. The oncoming grey clouds blended softly with the blue sky, turning a deep velvet blue. The rain was coming. The wind blew softly, releasing the cool droplets of water from the sky, falling faster and faster. Ed turned to Roy and grinned.

"Time to go don't you think?"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I would say come again, but I think- it's time to sell up and move on now" taking a look back for the last time, the blonde took Roy by the hand and ran, dragging the man along with him. Laughing like a child, he tried to shaking his head to loosen the hair sticking to his face.

"Come on old man, keep up!"

In all truth, Roy hadn't had this much fun in years. He could always rely on Ed to make him feel youthful again. As the heavens opened, the rain soaked through their clothes, the fabric clinging damply to their skin. The Elric's hair stuck to his back, turning a darker shade, fading out at the tips. Both alchemists began to slow, trying to catch their breath through laughter.

"Ed!" the Colonel shouted through the loud pattering of rain through the thick sheet of leaves above, the water thundering heavily against the runny mud caking their boots.

"What?!" The teen cried back, wondering what on earth the man would want at a time like this. Roy pulled at the blonde's wrist, catching him in his arms. Pinning Ed to the nearest tree, he pried the dripping locks from his face. Hooking a warm pair of fingers under the teens chin, he rewarded Ed with a tender kiss.

Pulling back smugly, his lips hovered over Ed's tender bruised ones.

"Nothing" he smiled, "Nothing at all".

**All done : )**

**Not one of my longest I know, and it was a bit different, but I hope you liked it.**

**See you next chapter!**


	33. Dont Forget

**Hello folks!**

**Looking forward to Christmas? I hope so :)**

**I plan on doing some FullMetal one shots to get into the Christmas spirit! So keep an eye out,**

**Enjoy**

"Please Ed, just promise me you won't-"

"Do anything stupid, yeah yeah...." Winry raised an eyebrow, her arms folded sternly. Ed scratched the back of his head coolly.

"When have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" there was a long pause. Roy's hand rested on his shoulder.

"I'm sure Winry would love to tell you, but if she listed them all we could be here all night" he smirked.

"Thanks for the support..." the blonde muttered under his breath, swinging his suitcase over his shoulder.

"Thanks for putting up with us; I know it was short notice"

"Any time Colonel" Al smiled.

"Please, call me Roy"

"Sure thing Roy"

Winry glared from the doorway, narrowing her eyes viscously.

"Well..." Roy picked up his case, "Hopefully the next time we meet will be under much better circumstances"

"Are you done yet?" the teen was growing impatient; he was tapping his foot on the dry ground, waiting to have his say before they left for good.

"Same old Ed" Al laughed. He could always rely on his brother to lighten the mood with his usual antics. Sometimes Al often wondered if Ed was the oldest, it had to be a myth.

"You bet" the teen coolly piped back.

"Don't leave it so long next time brother, and don't-"

"Forget to call"

"Make sure you-"

"Don't push myself..."

"I mean it you know!"

"I can take care of myself!"

"Of course you can Ed" Roy smirked.

"You really have got your hands full" Al smiled, knowing full well what the Colonel was letting himself in for. "Good luck! And make sure he stays in one piece!"

"You hear that?" Roy tapped his fist on Ed's forehead, making the teen rub his head angrily.

"Whatever! I guess I'll see you in a couple more years Al!" the blonde laughed, turning swiftly on his heels. "Tell the old lady I said bye" Walking slowly he craned his neck to look at Roy, who was still standing in the doorway.

"Come one old man, time we got going" the man followed, scuffing his boots lazily as he went.

"Yes _dear_" he rolled his eyes, ignoring the laugh coming from Alphonse. As the pair walked on across the empty moor, Al looked to the sulking mechanic beside him, sighing.

"He'll be fine"

The blonde glared.

"Can't you be happy for him? Just this once?"

The blonde continued to glare. She turned to look back at the pair before turning away in disapproval, and stormed back into the house. Al looked back at his brother and Roy walking into the distance with their fingers laced together. He was truly happy for them. It was a shame not everyone followed his opinion.

Roy couldn't help but notice how happy the blonde beside him was. Edward was smiling, and it truly suited him. His hair remained wildly untamed, cascading loosely down his back, glowing under the light of the sun.

"Happy to leave?"

"What ever gave you that idea?"

Ed grinned from ear to ear, tightening his grip on the older man. It was an odd feeling, Ed knew he should have wanted to stay longer, he wouldn't have minded the least. But deep down, he felt this was how it should be, it seemed he and Roy weren't welcome, in Winrys eyes anyway. That piercing gaze scared him painfully. How could she look down at him like that?

"Something wrong?"

"Huh?" the teen turned.

"Something's bothering you"

"How can you tell?"

"You look distracted"

Ed smiled, "I'm flattered you pay so much attention" looking back to the path before him, the blonde insisted, "Honestly its nothing"

The blonde sat comfortably beside the window, his pale cheek pressed against the cool glass. As the train pulled out of the station Edward watched the familiar view go by, something he'd seen so many times before.

The sun beat down upon him uncomfortably, and soon enough, the buttons of his shirt began to undo revealing his bandaged chest. Pulling at the tight material he groaned.

"I swear she made them this tight on purpose" sinking back into the chair, he rested his head on Roy's shoulder. Roy tossed his paper aside and looked down at the offending teen.

"Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact, I think you can" he nuzzled into the man's crisp shirt, the cool fabric feeling heavenly against his skin. Roy shuffled in his seat, trying to pry the teen off of him.

"Stop moving"

Sighing, he wrapped an arm around the teen's waist and pulled him closer, threading his fingers through the long strands of golden hair. Resting his head on the blondes, he closed his eyes contently. It was nice to feel so comfortable and relaxed, without having to worry about what anyone else thought. They were lucky enough to be sat in an empty carriage, perhaps it was best to leave early after all. Back at the Rockbell household, things had been much different, more awkward. Especially with the feisty mechanic present, who seemed to be constantly on watch. The Colonel hadn't been able to glance at Ed without earning himself a deadly glare. It was incredibly obvious she didn't approve. It made him think.

Would the others be like this too? Roy scolded himself for having such thoughts, of course he couldn't care less what the others thought, but he didn't want to be a problem to Ed. The teen still had the rest of his life ahead of him, and Roy Mustang wasn't going to let anyone get in the way. Especially when it came to Edward. He wondered if Ed's future had room for an old man such as himself.

The blonde sank deeper into the man's chest, wincing from the strong beams of sunlight shining through the glass. The window was open as far as the hinges would allow, and as time went on more and more of the teens buttons undone. He groaned.

"What's wrong? The heat getting to you?"

"I'm hot." Ed flicked the hair from his face, tossing it lazily over his shoulder.

"I could have told you that, drama queen"

"Shut up" he muffled into Roy's shirt. "I still have burns from the last desert you sent me to" resting his chin on the Colonels chest, he looked into his black orbs. The man raked a hand through the gold hair.

"As tempting as it was to see you half naked and covered in sweat, I don't do deserts"

The teen narrowed his eyes, a blush tinting his flushed cheeks. Roy pressed a kiss to his temple, feeling Ed grow warmer from the touch.

"Keep that up and you'll give me a fever"

"I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem, I think you'd like me playing nurse for a while"

"Dream on."

Reaching out for the newspaper, the blonde began to fan himself gently, the creaking of his metal joints clawed through his ear drums. Throwing the paper aside, he ignored Roy's offer to remove a few of his layers.

"Could the day get any worse?"

"Why yes it could"

"Care to elaborate?"

"The teams meeting us at the station...."

"AND WHEN DID YOU PLAN ON TELLING ME EXACTLY?!"

"Urrmmm....OW"

Roy hissed as the teen elbowed him in the side as he sat up, Ed narrowed his eyes viscously. For a moment, he could have sworn he looked just like Winry.

**Fillers are now over :)**

**And sorry the length wasn't very promising, please forgive me!**

**See you next chapter**


	34. Hallucinations

**Sorry about the disappointing chapter length last time, I hope this one's better : )**

**Quite a bit of dialogue, hope you don't mind,**

**Enjoy!**

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure"

"We could-"

"No"

"But-"

"For the last time Ed, we are meeting them at the platform whether you like it or not" Roy sighed. The two alchemists had been cooped up in the small carriage for some time now. How long had it been? An hour? Two?

The heat was becoming unbearable, getting worse as they got closer to central. Roy sincerely hoped there wasn't a heat wave going on. The thought of a grouchy Edward didn't thrill him the slightest.

The blonde in question had surrendered. He didn't have the energy to argue anymore. His shirt was open, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and hair remained loose. He would have tied it up, but that took far too much effort. Besides, it suited him better anyway. Edward couldn't have been happier as the train grinded to a halt, he honestly thought if he'd stayed cooped up a minute longer he would've be a puddle on the floor.

Roy stood, watching the teen still lifelessly sunk in his seat, making no intentions of moving. The heat really took its toll on the young alchemist, he wondered if he was ok.

"Ed?" There was a groan.

"Come on Edo, we need to get going"

The blonde did his best to sit up straight; he hoisted himself to his feet and leaned against the cool glass tiredly. Swinging his case over one shoulder, Ed dragged himself to the platform, finally making it back to central in one piece. As tempting as it was to say "Its good to be home", the teen didn't want to lie to himself. He wondered if he would ever be able to call a place home.

Roy turned, feeling a hand on his shoulder. Brushing it off, he stepped forward, only to find it pull him back again.

"Don't move"

"Ed?"

"Just give me a minute, please"

"Colonel, Chief! It been a while, I almost forgot what you looked like!"

Ed's smile soon dropped. Standing beside Havoc, as serious as always, was Hawkeye. He could almost feel her eyes on him, scanning him from head to toe.

"Your back sooner than I expected, I take it you completed the mission?" There was an awkward silence. Risa glared, hand on her hip. "You'll have to do it eventually"

"Get someone else to do the dirty work" Ed spat exhaustedly.

"Dirty work?" Risa raised an eyebrow.

"It's alright for you guys to complain, with your comfy office jobs, while I get sent half way round the world and blown to pieces!"

"Come on chief, we all get our fair-"

"Fair?! When was the last time you guys had a mission?" Silence. Risa stepped forward.

"Edward, now really isn't the time-"

"Now's the perfect time! You want to fix the homonculus problem? Get some other idiot else to do it"

"But you have the most experience in these matters-"

"Forget it! I'm having a holiday!"

"Oh really?" Roy raised an eyebrow, "Do you think you deserve one?"

"You know I deserve one" Ed glared, "Or do you need persuading?"

"FullMetal, don't threaten the Colonel" Hawkeye said sternly. Ed laughed tiredly, holding his side.

"Oh I wasn't threatening him" he grinned, "quite the opposite actually"

"Isn't it time we got going?" Havoc reminded them, he was sure the two would rather go home than stick around arguing all day. Leading them back to the car Havoc smiled, catching the sight of Ed's rare choice of hair.

"Nice hair chief" he grinned, flicking the ash from his cigarette.

"Thanks... I think..."

Roy began to twirl a strand of hair with his fingers, tugging playfully.

"Ow!" "Stop you moron! Or I'll strangle you with it!"

"Now that defiantly was a threat" Roy grinned.

Ed sighed as he collapsed into the leather seat that scorched his back angrily through his thin shirt. He hissed, and lazily rested his cheek against the cool window, earning himself a share from Hawkeye.

"What?"

"You know 'what' FullMetal"

He groaned "Leave me alone"

"Edward"

Ed growled as Havoc and Roy looked on sheepishly. They knew how dangerous both the blondes could be in a foul mood. The thought of even a short trip in the car was not worth thinking about. Who knew what could happen.

"Back five minutes and your already making a scene" Roy smirked, leaning on the teens shoulder. "Now calm down before you make yourself ill"

"Yes mother" the Colonel ruffled the blonde's hair, the teen fidgeted from the touch. Havoc turned in his seat as Hawkeye drove on, flicking ash out of the window.

"I take it you guys are going home right?"

"Is that a joke? Course we are!" Ed ignored the tutting Jean, "So would you if you were in my shoes!" The teen's breath began to mist on the window, a thin layer of sweat beginning to pour from his pores. The heat definitely wasn't improving his mood, as were the tight bandages restricting his airways. He pulled at the material, only to find fingers caught by a glaring Roy.

"No touching"

"But-"

"No"

"But it's too tight!"

"That'll be the least of your worries if it gets infected, now stop touching it"

"Got yourself in a bit of a scrape huh chief?" Ed's eyes trailed from Jean.

"Yeah, something like that..." Roy caught the blonde's fingers again.

"And you'll be in an even bigger scrape if Winry has to fix you again, so stop touching!" The teen fussed against the Colonels grip, growling in irritation.

"If you don't stop I'll cuff you" Ed leaned over, his lips hovering over Roy's ear. He whispered just loud enough for the raven haired man to hear,

"_Who says I wouldn't like that?_"

"Edward, Roy" Hawkeye said slowly. "I know this is very hard for both of you, but could you please refrain from touching each other in the back of my car?"

"Aww, like an old married couple" Havoc grinned. Roy turned sharply, raising an eyebrow at Jean.

"Did you just imply I was old?"

Havoc grimaced. Wonderful, he'd just hit a nerve. "I... Urmm.. Well..."

"Chill pops, he was just joking" Ed grinned proudly, "Don't get stressed about it, you might strain a muscle"

"Oh I'll teach you about strenuous activity" Roy muttered to himself softly.

"And another thing" Edward looked to his hand, "Could you let go of me?" he tugged at his wrist, "Your making me hot"

"I don't even want to imagine what's going on back there" Jean laughed.

"Shut up!" the two alchemists yelled in sync, both blushing embarrassedly.

"Aww, did I just hit a nerve?"

Ed crossed his arms stubbornly, narrowing his eyes. "Would you like me to show you what that feels like?"

"Edward, I know this is hard for you, but could you not threaten my staff?" Roy leaned on the blonde, feeling the heat from his skin burn through his sleeves. He placed the back of his hand of the teens scorching forehead, wincing from the touch.

"You're calling in sick tomorrow"

"What are you doing?" he said, peeling the Colonels hand from his head.

"You're coming down with something"

"Yeah? And my names Wendy"

"I was being serious Edward"

"So was I"

"For the last time, could you please keep the noise down back there, I'M TRYING TO DRIVE!"

Silence. Hawkeye could always manage to silence a situation; she was a woman no one wanted to mess with. Sometimes, her colleagues found her more threatening than the pistols tucked in her pocket. Compared to them, Risa Hawkeye was the equivalent to hell.

Edward however, couldn't see what all the fuss was about. After all, the great FullMetal alchemist didn't batter an eyelid at the thought of a woman and a mere pistol. He'd faced much more viscous things. Speaking of viscous, the seat belt began to dig at his stitches painfully. He had several stitches and staples in his back, barely noticeable, but inevitably they would scar. Ed wondered how long it would take until he was a walking scar, not that they bothered him of course, just simply another to add to the collection.

The car grinded to a halt, jerking Edward in his seat. The blonde glared at a smug looking Hawkeye.

"Could you be more gentle next time?!"

"Aww, poor Edo" Havoc mocked, lighting yet another cigarette.

"Would you like me to dispose of that for you? I'm sure it would fit nicely up your-"

"OK that's enough for one day" Roy hooked his fingers under the blondes chin as Ed grabbed for the door handle. "I'm picking you up tomorrow"

"What! I thought I was calling in sick! What about my holiday!"

"That will be discussed in the morning, now go take a shower or something" he smirked, giving the blonde a small peck on the cheek. Clambering out of the car, Ed looked back to the man tugging on his shirt. "Just remember, don't do anything...stupid"

Havoc turned to Hawkeye, looking at the smoke in his hand in surprise.

"I don't know what they put in these things... but I think I'm hallucinating"

**There will be much less speech next time (hopefully) :)**

**Thanks again for reviews and subscriptions; it always makes me smile seeing messages in my inbox every day. Thank you very much!**

**See you next chapter!**


	35. Cold Air

**Me again : )**

**Thank you for all your reviews last chapter! I never expected so many!**

**Enjoy the chapter**

There was knocking, the irritating sound of a fist pounding on the hollow wood. Edward groaned, pulling the sheets tighter around his body like a cocoon. Closing his eyes tightly he tried to ignore the sound grinding through his ear drums. Unfortunately for him, Roy Mustang was a persistent man.

"Go away" he muttered, stretching out his aching joints and peeling himself from the soft mattress. Grimacing from the icy wooden floor, Ed dragged his way to the door, dressed only in shorts, an oversized shirt, and loose hair mussed from sleep.

Roy smirked as he heard the thud of metal grow louder. Glancing at his pocket watch made his smile grow further. Seven am, wonderful. The door swung open, an irritated looking blonde slouched against the door frame, shivering from the cool wind and clinging on half asleep.

"Hurry up" he glared, "Your letting the cold air in... asshole..."

"What was that?" Roy smirked, hanging his jacket in the doorway.

"I said it's such a beautiful day!" Ed yawned, trying his best to be enthusiastic. He collapsed into the leather armchair, fidgeting from the cold material against the back of his legs.

"Well I must say, you're looking very extravagant this morning" the Colonel gave the scowling blonde a peck on the cheek before sitting himself opposite.

"For your sake, you better not be joking"

Roy's black orbs scanned the room; he'd never been in Edward's apartment before. A few months ago, he wouldn't have dreamed to be sitting here. The walls were a clean white, from what he could see, so was the entire hallway leading into the kitchen and upstairs. There was no clutter, everything in its place, and the shelves decorated with a few framed photographs of the Elric's. Lastly the floor, simple wooden floor boards, with a few occasional marks presumable from the blondes automail.

Ed looked as if he were close to drifting back to sleep, his eyes closed, sinking lower into the chair. Eyeing the teen's night wear Roy sighed.

"Are you going to get changed any time soon?"

There was a yawn. "No"

"Honestly, young folks like you should be brimming with energy"

"You make me sound like a kid"

"That's because you are"

"Your just jealous" the blonde smiled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Why the hell so early?"

"I was worried you know..." Roy trailed off, wincing at the sight of Ed's bandaged leg and torso. The teen stretched, and pulled himself from the comfort of his armchair. Walking over to Roy, he made himself comfortable in the man's lap, burying his head in the warm shirt. The Colonel wrapped his arms around the teen's waist, smiling at the sudden show of affection. It was unusual for the blonde to be so open.

"I'm fine, you should stop worrying"

"Can't help it" he muttered softly, threading a hand through the wild locks of gold hair. "It's always my fault when you get hurt, and you don't deserve any of it"

"Stop lying to yourself, it's just a scratch"

"That's not the point"

Ed sighed; he sat up and ruffled the Colonels raven strands, laughing at the man's expression. Roy held the blondes wrist, glaring.

"Do you know how long it took to tame my hair this morning?"

"No, but I'd say an hour or two"

"Dam right it did you little- stop laughing! I said stop!"

Ed laughed like a naughty child, holding his sides as he shook.

"Awww I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?" the Colonel glared in response.

"Oh I get it! You wanted to look all pretty for me didn't you! Don't worry, I think you look handsome anyway!" he grimaced. Looking at both his hands he realised they were both saturated with gel. Roy grinned smugly.

"I'll teach you to laugh at me!"

Before Ed could wipe his hands on the man's cheeks, Roy held his wrists tightly. After minutes of struggling, he collapsed on the arm rest exhaustedly. Clenching his metal fingers, he winced at the sound.

"Don't spose you carry oil do you?" "I didn't think so"

Clambering off Roy's lap, he motioned for the man to follow him. The Colonel was greeted with the largest room of the house; he couldn't help but feel it was much too big for a single person. He wondered how often the Elric had sat in the room by himself in the evenings. Roy knew how it felt to be lonely. He'd spent many nights in his own company, knowing full well how degrading it could be. He made a promise to himself that Ed would never have to feel that way again. Never.

"Can you pass me a towel?" their fingers touched briefly, Roy glared at the blonde for soaking his fingers. Reaching for the towel, he found his hand caught by the teens.

"Let me" he said smugly. Glancing at the clock, Ed excused himself, disappearing upstairs to change. When he finally emerged, the Colonel was thankful he had such a fine looking member on his team. The blonde's hair had been brushed neatly into a parting, hanging limply over his shoulders. A white shirt was buttoned to the chest, revealing a small proportion of bandages. Roy wondered how long it would be until Ed could free himself from the ugly material, and his leg was still in need of a skin graft.

Edward threw a black coat over his shoulder. Opening the door, the teen looked to the Colonel, groaning at the empty spot outside the apartment, were the car should be.

"Please don't say were walking"

"Dam right we are"

There was a groan, "Fine, but I'm not gunna forget this", the door clicked behind them.

It was half an hour later Roy Mustang and Edward Elric appeared through the main gate, hand in hand. They both smiled at the odd reactions around them. Other than the excited whispers around them, and the occasional twitch of a blind, it was a normal day at work. Walking down the familiar corridor Ed laughed mockingly at the gutted receptionists.

"_Suckers"_

"Remind me why were doing this again?"

"Because my dear Colonel, it saves a lot of explanation" he laughed, "And it's highly amusing"

"Somehow why am I not surprised?" As the two wondered down the never ending corridor to the office, Ed's gold orbs scanned the hundreds of name plates nailed to the doors, each looking dully the same.

"I want an office"

The Colonel looked to the teen beside him, laughing.

"I could've sworn you just said-"

"Office, can I have one?"

"Why in the world would you want such a thing?" Roy couldn't understand. After all, he'd spent most of his time behind a desk, dealing with that dreaded paperwork.

"Well everyone else has one"

"Ed, where's this coming from? You were never bothered before"

"Before, I never needed one; I was always out on" he shuddered, "missions" "You think paper works evil? You need to get out more"

"Sometimes, I'd kill for a day out of the office; I wouldn't want you to be cooped inside all day, your young, full of energy-"

"Good looking...." Ed interrupted. "Sure, the worlds a big place, but it's not that cool when you get out there, I can't even go out without coming back with a scar"

"But-"

"Roy, I'm nineteen, I've spent half of my life in the military, seen more than anyone twice my age has ever witnessed, I have two false limbs, more scars than fingers-" he breathed, "I feel like I've lived my life all ready, it would be nice to settle down for while, you know?"

The Colonel squeezed his hand reassuringly. Admittedly, the blonde had been through hell, and given up his childhood for the military. He couldn't blame Edward for wanting a change.

The office lights were on. It appeared someone had already arrived before them.

"An office, desk, piece of wood, whatever, something would be nice"

"I'll see what I can do" he smiled, "But... you'll have to wear a uniform of course"

"Oh really?" the blonde purred, "Or is that just one of your messed up fantasies?"

"I'll make sure you get one by the end of the day" he smirked, "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a month's worth of paperwork to be doing"

Opening the door, the alchemists were greeted by Havoc and Hawkeye. The stern looking woman extinguished the cigarette hanging limply from the man's mouth.

"How long?"

**How evil of me to stop there : D**

**It's not amazing, but I hope you liked it; Ed's finally getting back on his feet again.**

**What will happen? Who knows! **

**See you next chapter.**


	36. I Trust You

**Guess who's back again?**

**36 huh? Bet you're sick of the sight of me! But if you're not...**

**Enjoy the latest chapter : )**

Edward laughed nervously, clinging to Roy like a baby chimp. Risa Hawkeye was in a dangerous mood.

"E-excuse me?"

"You heard me! How long?"

"Hawkeye" Roy said warningly, "I really don't think it's any of your-"

"How long, has this... relationship, fling whatever you want to call it, been going on for?"

"If you really must know, a month"

The Colonel and Risa exchanged glares, Ed and Jean glanced at each other nervously. They knew better than to interrupt the two. Both gritted their teeth and hoped it would soon be over. Luckily, the office was empty as always in that morning. Edward groaned. It would be just his luck if someone came in.

"Do you really think it's a smart idea to parade down the hallways like that?"

That last word was the final straw for Roy Mustang. He would not tolerate anyone talking about himself and Edward like that. He wouldn't allow it.

"That? Don't make it sound so disgusting! I'm holding his hand for god's sake!"

"Did either of you stop to think what this could do to your reputations? Or careers?"

"Risa, I couldn't give a rats ass what anyone thinks of me. Rank, reputation, it means nothing to me-"

"Did I mention you're old enough to be his father?" There was a deathly silence. Risa Hawkeye had just hit a nerve.

Edward felt a pang of guilt. Looking at the steaming blonde in front of him he only saw Winry, saying the exact same words. It was happening all over again. He wondered if things would turn out the same, like a film repeating over and over in his head, or a stuck record. He hoped they wouldn't be stuck here forever; it would make him so happy if they could move on. Ed knew how badly Roy had been affected by the last comment; he hoped the man would pay no attention to it. His usual fiery attitude was dormant; it seemed his words were stuck at the back of his throat. The teen wasn't sure what the Colonel was thinking, but he could guarantee it involved Risa being torched.

"Do you really think I'm not aware of that? Do you really think I haven't though this through already? I'm telling you now; it's the only thing that's been running through my mind for the past few weeks! I swear to god Risa I-"

"Just stop, both of you" The blonde bravely stepped forward between the bickering adults, he sighed, questioning whether they were adults at all.

"I'm sick of people talking about me like I'm not here! It's like being a kid again! You think I'm not grown up enough to take part in the conversation?"

Risa interrupted, "Edward, your just a-"

"I've got news for you! I stopped being a kid a long time ago, and it's about damn time someone noticed!"

Havoc smiled, he admired Ed for speaking up for himself, and wished he could be just as brave. He finally decided it was best to stay quiet and watch, he didn't fancy getting himself involved in this kind of debate, especially about relationships.

"Risa, how do I say this politely? I appreciate your 'concern', but it really isn't necessary-"

"Edward Elric! Don't you dare talk to me like-"

"I'll talk to you how I damn well please lady! Don't lecture me; I know what your gunna say! Winry was just the same! You both think you know what's best for me!"

"I'm not having this conversation with you again Risa" Roy said sternly. "I love Edward, and I'll do anything to protect his future, I'm sure there's room in it for an old man like me" he smiled, turning to Ed and ruffling the blondes hair, turning the teen a deep shade of pink.

Jean looked on; the clicking of his lighter pierced the silence. He grinned. A silent Hawkeye was a rare sight indeed, and he intended to enjoy every moment while it lasted. Risa's hands hovered over the beloved pistols in her pockets, as she muttered under her breath angrily.

"Going to shoot me huh? How about I make it a little easier for you..." the blonde spread his arms wide like a target, grinning smugly, he knew full well the woman wouldn't shoot. She growled, turning swiftly on her heels and slamming the door behind her. Risa Hawkeye was not a happy woman.

Havoc whistled, "Whoever has reports in today, my heart goes out to them" glancing at Risa's empty desk beside him he groaned. "Shit. I never thought of that"

Taking the teen's wrist, Roy pulled him in the direction of his office, opening the door with his free hand. Jean glanced around the empty office nervously.

"Your leaving me out here?! With that thing?!"

Roy grinned, "Take it like a man Jean, what's the worst that could happen?" on that final note, the door clicked behind them, leaving Havoc in the company of his paperwork. The man pulled out his chair and looked to the box of cigarettes in his hand. He was going for a long smoke.

"Poor guy! I can't believe you just left him out there!" the blonde laughed, collapsing onto his favourite leather couch, the cold leather stinging through his clothes. Hanging his feet over the armrest, Ed folded his arms under his head.

"Do you think she'll be ok?"

Roy dropped his keys onto the desk, taking a seat next to the teen.

"In a couple of days, maybe"

"Days?! Don't joke about that! At this rate, I won't last that long!"

"You'll learn to live with it, I'm immune by now" the Colonel ran his fingers through the long strands of honey hair from root to tip.

"Can you promise me something?"

Ed looked to up at the man questioningly. "What is it?"

"Don't cut your hair"

"I wouldn't dream of it. If mom was here, she'd shoot me. She always insisted on haircuts, I think the length reminded her of the bastard"

"I thought I was the only bastard in your life?"

"Of course you are" Ed smirked as excited whispers echoed down the corridor. "I told you it would work"

"That great and all, but being the talk of central isn't something that thrills me in the slightest"

"Shut up and praise me!" "Repeat after me, Edward Elric you are a true genius, if only I could be as intelligent as you!" he closed his eyes in awe, grinning.

"You want praise?" the Colonel leaned in close to the blonde, his hands either side of the teen's shoulders. "Don't you worry Edward; praise is exactly what you'll be getting" As Roy's lips inched closer Ed gulped. He really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The only thing he did know was that this really wasn't the time. What if Hawkeye came barging in? She'd shoot him for real this time.

Soft lips came crashing down upon his own. It seemed Roy Mustang didn't intend on letting him off so easily. A moan escaped the blonde's bruised lips. The Colonel stopped for breath; warm puffs of air tickled the teen's cheeks, his face beginning to feel unbearably warm. Roy smiled at the flustered looking Ed, who was staring helplessly into pooling black orbs of oblivion. The blondes tried to speak, his voice a low whisper.

"What if-" a delicate kiss stopped the teen dead in his tracks. Roy stroked the side of the side of his warm face gently, fearing if he was too careless, the blonde would crumble. If only kisses and comfort could heal flesh wounds too. Pulling the left side on Ed's shirt aside, Roy pressed his warm lips to the bandaged torso. If he couldn't heal Edward physically, this was the least he could do. Hooking a finger under the man's collar, Ed pulled him into a thankful kiss. Gazing back at the Colonel he smiled softly, releasing his grip on the tight fabric around the man's neck. How he loved wearing civilian clothes.

"That was..."

"Good? I know" Roy grinned proudly. "You can have more if you like, _Edward_" he purred.

"Flirt." Ed sat up, his hair sticking in all sorts of odd directions. He began to brush it out with his fingers, until his hand would move no further. He tugged, hissing sharply.

"Uhh, Roy? Dont spose you'd do an old friend a favour would you?"

The Colonel smirked. The blonde's hair was caught in a metal joint. Pressing the teen to the back of the coach he kneeled between his legs.

"Oh I don't know it's very convenient having you all tied up like this" The teen growled. Scratching the blonde behind the ear Roy leaned closer.

"If you don't start behaving I'll have to get you a leash"

"No need" Ed clenched his now free hand, inspecting it for any hair. "Thank you master" he said, pecking the man on the cheek. The loud ringing of the phone grinded loudly through their eardrums. Roy groaned.

"I'm ignoring it"

"What if it's Risa?" The Colonel dashed to the phone quicker than ever before, clutching the receiver tightly, irritated by the distraction.

"Mustang, what's the-"

"Roy?"

The Colonels jaw dropped. He put down the receiver, looking into the blondes eyes sincerely.

"Homonculus sightings, not far from here... Were getting out of here"

"WE? But why?!"

"I'm not having a repeat of last time Ed; you're not even healed yet! We don't stand a chance-"

"Sure we can keep running, but that doesn't get rid of the problem! He'll just keep going after me!"

"Edward, I'm not having you hurt again, promise me no matter what happens you won't be reckless"

The blonde sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes master"

"Were going to talk this through before we do anything, understood?" Ed rested a hand on Roy's shoulder, looking into his eyes lovingly.

"I trust you"

**Was that longer? I think it was...**

**Christmas holidays! Which means I have lots more time to dedicate to this story! There should be more chapters than usual this week and next. **

**Thank you for your reviews : )**

**See you next chapter.**


	37. Dead End

**Thank you for your nice reviews : )**

**I don't reply to as many as I should, but I read ****every**** single one of them!**

**Enjoy!**

"So much for a holiday..."

The team glared at the teen fustratedly.

"Edward." Risa glared, "You're not helping"

Ed, Roy, Havoc and Risa were gathered around the large desk, attempting to conjure up a miraculous plan of some sort. Ed collapsed onto the thick wood and groaned.

"Ed, if you think you could do any better, please, let us know"

The blonde drummed his fingers boredly, glancing up at the clock. "I thought you said time was of the essence-"

"ED!" the three adults snapped nervously. Since the phone call, all of them were on the edge of their seats, jumping out of their skins at the slightest of sounds. Edward was quite the opposite. He found 'planning' a complete bore and waste of time. It went against his usual 'take it as it comes' method. If things had gone his way, everything would have been over by now.

"Uhh" he groaned impatiently. Getting up from his chair he lounged back on the leather sofa, folding his hands under his head.

"Edward, what the hell are you doing?! Now really isn't the-"

"Now's the perfect time" the blonde interrupted the Colonel.

"What are you-?"

"Sleeping"

"And how is sleeping going to solve anything?"

"It's not. And planning won't either!"

"Chiefs right you know" Jean sighed, rubbing his temples. He'd been smoking like a chimney for the past hour. The smoke was beginning to make him feel nauseas.

"Look, I already told you, we simply-"

"No." Roy cut the teen off in his tracks.

"Why not?!"

"Because Ed, nothing you ever say is simple"

"Screw you guys" the blonde growled. Getting to his feet, he threw a jacket over his shoulder. Glancing back at the others he headed for the door, a hand clasped his shoulder tightly.

"Where do you think you're going?" the Colonel asked sternly.

"Out"

"Edward, we all agreed that-"

"Look. You guys aren't getting anywhere. We all know it's me he's after, I just want to get it over with"

"Edward, try to co-operate!" Risa yelled from the back of the room. "Were all sick of this-"

"You're sick of this?! I've been running from that asshole all my life! I'm settling this once and for all, that bastard's gone too far this time!"

"At least let me come with you..." Roy trailed off, his gaze fixing on the blonde. Havoc stood, extinguishing his cigarette in the black ash tray.

"Were all in this together" he smiled.

Golden orbs darted quickly, scanning every face, every street that came into view. Scuffing his boots on the rough pavement his eyes narrowed. The game was on. Edward wished it could have been simple, but as Roy had pointed out earlier, nothing was ever simple. Envy could be any one of these people. Since going in search of the homonculus, it seemed to Ed that everyone looked suspicious. His mind began to toy with him. Was that Envy? How about that man over there? Or the boy who had just passed him?

Edward scolded himself for being so stupid. Roy squeezed his hand reassuringly, as if he knew what the blonde was thinking.

Risa and Havoc followed behind them, not sure exactly what or who they should be looking for. A homonculus was an unknown being to them. Havoc tried to picture this Envy in his mind, but could only conjure up the image of a normal being. He was expecting something much more monstrous, but it was clear Envy was just like a normal human being; otherwise he would have been easier to look for.

"Uhh... Chief? What are we looking for exactly? Well, you know what I mean, what does he look like?"

"Depends on what form he's in, he could be any one of these people..." the blonde trailed off, he was trying his best to pay attention, but his mind was on other things.

"What's his usual form?" Jean mumbled with a cigarette between his lips, calming his fraying nerves.

"Like me, but older, a lot older..."

"How much older are we talking?" Risa asked sternly as ever, her face blank as always, concealing all emotion.

"A thousand years I'd say, can't remember the exact date, but he doesn't look a day over twenty..."

"A thousand?" Hawkeye questioned, as if she didn't quite believe him.

"Their immortal" the teen said as if it was plainly obvious. Unlike the others, he wasn't fazed at all. For the past few years, nothing in life surprised him the slightest. He had grown accustomed to such a bizarre life. Edward knew no different.

"Then why are we-"

"To kill him"

"But I thought you said-"

"There are ways, but it's not easy, you need material from the transmutation-"

"Transmutation?!" Havoc and Risa both said together.

"Jesus! Don't you know anything?!"

"Edward" Roy soothed, "Calmmm" the blonde grinded his teeth, breathing slowly.

"I know this is a very stressful situation-"

"I AM NOT STRESSED!"

"Of course not..." the Colonel muttered, grateful they were walking through the emptier side of town. The teen certainly knew how to speak his mind, but Roy loved him all the same. As the sun began to retreat and the clouds disappear, the team grew restless. Amestris was a big place. It had taken hours just to cover half of it, the chance of running into Envy was low, but Ed wasn't taking any chances.

"Chief is this really-" the teen clasped a hand over Havocs mouth, silencing him. The blonde pressed his back to the wall, signalling for the others to do so. He pointed to the street corner, whispering softly, _"Someone's down there"_

"It could be anyone!" Risa snapped. Stepping away from the wall she turned the corner and said rather loudly, "Edward, don't be so ridiculous! There's nothing-"

Ed knew it was useless trying to silence her now, it was late, beyond late. He could have predicted the entire outcome of that afternoon at that very moment. He hoped if there ever was a next time people would actually listen for a change, without shrugging him off as a stupid teenager.

Risa grew silent, staring down the empty street in front of her. At the end, was the distant figure of a man, long blonde hair cascading down his back. He made no move, standing sill, looking plainly into her eyes as if he were inspecting them. Ed looked fearfully back at Roy and Havoc. Reaching out a hand he stroked the Colonels cheek. Unlacing their fingers he mouthed, _"Cover me"_.

The teen peered around the corner, not knowing what to expect. That's when he saw.

The man grinned maliciously at the familiar mop of hair. Looking back at the teen he disappeared into the darkness. Pushing all fear aside, Ed ran past Risa, nudging her as he went by. The others followed close behind him, struggling to keep up. For a person with automail, Edward could certainly out run them. Growling with determination he skidded around the corner, grinding to halt. A dead end.

There was a figure standing in the unlit corner, face shadowed in darkness. Ed didn't need to see, he could recognise that bastard anywhere. Pacing steadily, the teen walked on, not phased in the slightest.

"You don't play these games, not with me!"

"I see you brought some friends with you... Hello friends of Edward, a pleasure to meet you!" Envy stepped into the light. Roy instantly recognised him, that same smug face etched deep into his memory. He seethed with anger. It was that man who was responsible for Ed's pain. His mind drifted back to the scene in the snow. He could still picture the stained ice, frozen with blood.

Envy stepped closer. Risa and Havoc were not sure what to make of him. He didn't look dangerous at all. But as they both knew all too well, appearances could be deceiving.

"I used to have friends once... until you killed them all of course" his grin dropped, a more serious expression began to appear, shaping into a deep scowl.

"I admire your courage, it seems you both need reminding what happened the last time we ran into each other" he smirked.

"I don't make a habit of running into you" Ed growled, rolling the sleeve from his right arm, the metal gleaming in the light.

"Of course! If were seen together too often people might assume were... connected." Envy laughed, "Now that just won't do!"

"You took the word right out of my mouth" the teen spat, transmuting his arm into a deadly blade as the homonculus stepped closer. The shape shifter paused when he was in line with Edward, stretching out to put a hand on his shoulder; the blonde batted it away and grabbed his wrist tightly. Ed looked away in disgust.

"Never, touch me" he growled.

"Still as fiery as ever I see" Envy grinned looking to Roy. "You've really got your hands full _Colonel_, I would say I admire your courage, but my parents always taught me not to lie"

Both blonde's gazes met, their gazes identical. In all truth, they were almost a reflection of each other, the same honey hair and the same build. There was a noticeable difference between them, locked behind their gazes. Envy was full of hatred, living for nothing but revenge. He had no purpose, a true freeloader of life. Edward lived life to protect, not just those close to his heart. Life had taught him selfishness had severe consequences. He'd been paying for it his entire life, and had the scars to prove it.

Envy sighed, "You know what I see when I look at you?"

"Don't say it! Don't you dare compare me to that bastard!"

"Looks like we agree on something... I can see why your mother adored you so much-"

"You know nothing!" the blonde yelled angrily, lunging for the homonculus. Envy ducked, taking a sharp step backwards to avoid a bullet. He spread his arms wide like a target, challenging Risa.

"Well what are you waiting for?!"

The woman fired, each shot right on target, yet the man looked as lively as ever. The bullets kept firing, and the homonculus strolled forward, not even flinching. He stood inches from the barrel of the gun. As the last bullet fired, he caught it between his fingers, tossing it aside un-phased.

"It'll take more than that to finish me!"

"Fine!" the teen cried, kicking the man in the back, sending him crashing to the ground. Ed stood on the man, digging his thick boots into the skin deeply. Envy craned his neck, looking absolutely furious.

Ed's blade dripped with blood, pressed to the neck of the homonculus. It was then Envy realised, the blood wasn't his. It was Edwards.

"Brother or not" the teen spat, "It's time to end this once and for all"

Roy, Havoc and Risa knew it was time to step back. The blonde wanted to settle this himself.

**That was a long one! Now my back is angry with me for staying hunched over the laptop too long!**

**Hope you liked it :)**

**See you next chapter.**


	38. For You

**If you guessed that this story was close to an end, you guessed right!**

**Enjoy the last chapter of Stuck With Me : )**

Envy tried his best to look un-phased, ignoring the cool blade against his throat.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but-"

"It's bothered me for a while now..." Ed muttered quietly, "You're not like the others... it's not as simple..."

"What are you saying?!"

"Usually, I'd just use some remains, but it's not as easy as that with you.. Even if I searched it would be useless. You died thousands of years ago, there's no way I'd find anything" he sighed. "On the other side of the gate, I asked-" he gritted his teeth. "Him if he had anything I could use. Nothing."

The blade inched closer, Envy's eyes grew wider. The familiar cloud of smoke mingled between them like fog. Havoc was smoking again. Risa clutched her useless gun to her chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Roy watched his precious from afar, eyes glued to Edward. Worry was eating at his insides, he was a nervous wreck. Roy wanted nothing more than to pull the teen into his arms and hold him close, like he'd done so many times before.

"I had a lot of time on my hands back then. It got me thinking..." the blonde smirked maliciously, leaning closer to Envy until their faces were just inches apart.

Before the homonculus could make a response, Ed released the grip on his throat and swung the blade with all the force he could manage. He couldn't care less which part of the thing he hit, as long as it did enough damage. The teen stepped back, holding the metal to his chest. His flesh hand was bleeding, droplets falling to the floor. A deep cut across his palm spoiled the pale skin. He clenched his fist tightly, ignoring the stinging sensation.

Suddenly, it grew silent. The homonculus was lying face down on the cold floor. There was neither a twitch nor a breath. It was impossible to detect any signs of life without getting close. Roy approached the teen, his footsteps growing louder. Reaching out a hand to grasp the blondes shoulder, the blonde caught it swiftly in his own, his back to the man.

"It's not over yet..." he whispered, squeezing Roy's hand tightly. The Colonel could feel the warm blood sticking to his wrist, trailing down his arm to stain his white sleeves.

Envy stretched out a hand, propping himself up shakily. Slowly but surely he stood, back facing the others. Turning slowly on his heel, his eyes grew wide with anger. A small scratch on his neck began to bleed, the blood seeped through his fingers. Clutching his throat tightly, Envy staggered forward sluggishly. He stopped. Setting his golden eyes on Risa he began to laugh. Each bullet that had been embedded in his skin began to emerge, hitting the floor one by one.

"C-clever E-edward..." he stuttered, red staining his white teeth. "B-but not quite c-clever enough to k-kill me..."

Edward seethed with anger, clenching his tight tightly, knuckle's turning a searing white.

"It'll work... It has to!!!" he growled as the smirking homonculus.

"Edward please" the Colonel pleaded. "No more. Let us help you!"

"One more time.... Just give me one more chance..."

"Ed, I must protest-"

"Once more"

"Just listen to me! You can't-"

"Just watch me!" releasing Roy's wrist Ed walked towards the homonculus, breaking out into a run.

"I'LL SPILL EVERY LAST DROP IF I HAVE TO!"

"ED NO!" Roy found himself being held back. He thrashed at the strong arms pinning his hands to his back.

"Jean, let me go!"

"I can't do that"

"Please Jean! I... I can't let it happen all over again..."

Havoc closed his eyes regrettably. He couldn't look at the man. Guilt was tearing him apart like a frail object.

"Sorry Roy, but he'd never forgive me..."

There was a yell as Ed made a long gash down his left arm, spraying the homonculus with blood. The long blade of metal sank into Envy's chest. Edward smiled as his vision faded to black.

The alley resembled a murder scene. Red stained every surface, and a sickly metallic taste filled the alchemist's mouth. Ed could hear the worried ramblings of a nervous Colonel at his side. He tried to focus, but his body demanded sleep.

Roy began to absorb the scene before him. The teen lay on Envy's chest, automail blade appearing from a gaping hole on the other side of the homunculus's back. Ed grimaced at the thought of the creature's insides resting on his arm, thankful he had no feeling in it. The warmth of blood warmed his neck, dripping down his chest. A hand stroked his cheek softly. He knew that touch by heart, there was no mistaking it.

"You did it Edo" Roy smiled. "I'm proud of you"

The blonde craned his neck wincing, his lashes fluttered as he attempted to clear his clouded vision. He forced a smile.

"We need to get you stitched up"

"I'm fine"

"Really?"

"Really. Just... need to... sleep..." his voice trailed off. Roy knew he should have kept the teen awake, but left him to drift into a peaceful slumber, kissing his forehead softly.

"Is he ok?" Havoc reached for his cigarettes only to find his hand batted away by a stern looking Risa Hawkeye.

"He's fine" the Colonel smiled, running a hand through the teens loose hair. It was odd... Ed had been wearing his hair down for a while now. Roy wondered if it could have any meaning. That's when he remembered.

_The blonde reached for his elastic, holding it between his teeth while he gathered the thick hair into a long ponytail. Roy took hold of his hands, leaving the honey strands to gather nicely around his shoulders._

"_What are you doing?" Ed glared at the man, the band dropped from his mouth onto the carpet._

"_Stopping you of course" the blonde rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around the Colonels neck._

"_Fine. I'll leave it down." "Just for you..." he muttered, a dark shade of pink collecting in his cheeks._

"So they were related huh? Who would've thought..." Jean looked down at the two blondes lying together messily. Envy was still, his eyes still wide open, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. "I hate to say it but... their almost like twins"

"He never told us..." Risa kneeled beside Roy, rolling up her sleeves.

"It's a touchy subject, he doesn't like talking about it" the Colonel shifted his gaze to the sleeping blonde.

"But how is it possible? I thought Envy was 'thousands' of-"

"He is. Envy is Hohenheim and Dante's son"

"That's'... But... Are they Homon-"

"No. I'm not going into details; it's not my place to say. But they both paid the price for wanting to live forever"

"First time I found out, was the night I went missing..." Ed muttered tiredly. It was awfully hard to sleep when someone was having a conversation in his ear.

"I told him to stop being a coward, to show me his real face... Part of me wishes I hadn't..."

Edward pulled at his automail, trying to free himself from the homonculus. With a final tug he rolled onto his side, grimacing at the unpleasant sound and smell to follow. Hovering a hand over the blade he hesitated before transmuting it back to normal.

"Gross!" he winced at the feeling of sticky fluid on his clammy skin. "That's the last time I do something like that again..."

"How many times have you said that before?"

"I wouldn't talk to me like that if I were you" Ed smirked. "It could have severe consequences"

"I look forward to finding out- erghh! Ed that's disgusting"

The blonde was attempting to smear his metal hand down the side of the Colonels cheek, laughing devilishly.

"Looks like someone's feeling better already" Jean smiled. Roy had a hold of the teen's wrists. Ed grew still, gasping for air between laughs.

"Edward, what have I told you about disobeying your master?"

Ed pouted. "Sorry _Roy_"

"You can show me how sorry you are later. I wouldn't want to traumatise out friends" he smirked. Edward reached for his jacket laying on the floor nearby, wiping his hands with it.

"Better?"

"Much better"

The blonde wrapped his arms around the man's neck as he was lifted from the stone floor. Burying his head in the navy uniform he smiled. Roy looked down at the satisfied teenager in his arms.

"Next time, we do it my way"

**Hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it :)**

**I would have liked to keep going, but everything has to come to an end eventually, right?**

**Thank you very much to everyone who read subscribed and reviewed.**

**For my first story, I think I did an ok job :) **


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